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CLASSICS TURKISH PAINTERS

Naile Akıncı

  • Posted by author-avatar
  • On 9 February 2026

Who was Naile Akıncı? (1923-2014 Istanbul)

Naile Akıncı was a Turkish painter. She enrolled in the Intermediate Section of the Painting Department at the Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts in 1938 after passing the entrance exam. While studying under Nurullah Berk and Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu at the Gallery, she also continued her studies at the Cour de Soir under the direction of Şefik Bursalı.

She worked in the studios of Léopold Lévy and Zeki Kocamemi, graduating from the Intermediate Section of the Painting Department in 1943. After a six-year break due to illness, Akıncı returned to the Academy in 1949 and graduated from the Higher Painting Department, Zeki Kocamemi Studio, in 1952. Naile Akıncı, who held her first solo exhibition in Istanbul in 1964 and caused a great stir with her retrospective exhibition at the Kashiwazaki Turkish Cultural Village Museum in Niigata Prefecture, Japan in 1997, has held a total of 48 solo exhibitions to date, primarily in Istanbul, but also in Ankara, Izmir, Athens, and Niigata, Japan. Akıncı, one of the oldest living masters of Turkish painting, who was receiving treatment at the Florence Nightingale Hospital, passed away at the age of 90 and was buried in Zincirlikuyu Cemetery.

Her Youth and Education:

Naile Akıncı, one of the first Turkish painters of the Republic era, was born in Van on July 1, 1923. In 1938, she passed the entrance exam for the Intermediate Section of the Painting Department at the Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts and enrolled. In addition to the training she received from artists such as Nurullah Berk and Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu at the Gallery, Akıncı continued her studies at the Cour de Soir under the direction of Şefik Bursalı. Having studied in the studios of Léopold Lévy and Zeki Kocamemi, she graduated from the Intermediate Section of the Painting Department of the Academy in 1943. After a six-year break from her studies at the academy due to illness, Akıncı graduated from the Advanced Painting Department in Zeki Kocamemi’s studio in 1952. The painter participated in over three hundred exhibitions in Turkey and held her first solo exhibition in Istanbul in 1964. In the later years of her career, Akıncı held more than forty solo exhibitions, primarily in Istanbul, but also in Ankara, İzmir, Athens, and Niigata, Japan. She represented Turkey in 13 national and 14 international exhibitions abroad and received 7 international awards. Furthermore, in 1977, following a series of international awards, Akıncı was invited by name to the “Contemporary Women Painters Exhibition” organized by the Mandet Museum in Riom, France.

Her Later Years;
Naile Akıncı, who struggled with Parkinson's disease in the last years of her life, said that her love of painting gave her the strength to overcome her illness. She continued to paint despite her illness and passed away on April 2, 2014, at the age of 90. Her funeral was held on April 4th at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery.

Her Artistic Life:

Naile Akıncı, while representing a unique iconography, holds a special and privileged place in Turkish painting. Avoiding copying nature, her works are far from an impressionistic approach. Known as a painter passionately attached to Istanbul, Naile Akıncı attracts attention with her variations reflecting her passion for the city. In this sense, Akıncı's signature is almost synonymous with "Eyüp," and she is considered one of the strongest landscape painters of Modern Turkish painting in the art world. The artist, whose name is synonymous with the Eyüp district, created variations on all the picturesque spots of Istanbul, such as Bebek, Ortaköy, Küçüksu, and Anadolu Kavağı, especially her “Eyüp Variations,” which are among the works in which her unique style can be easily discerned.[3] It is also possible to see the works reflecting the unique regional colors and characters of the Marmara and Ekinlik Islands, where the artist partially settled in 1962, as well as some arrangements, self-portraits, and still lifes depicting the island women, fishermen, horses, and cats that influenced her life during this period. Naile Akıncı expressed her commitment to art with these words: “Seventy-five years… Seventy-five whole years spent alone with my canvas, without betraying each other, without getting bored and turning our backs. If I sift through the hundreds of words that come to my mind when I look back, only one word remains to summarize my feelings: Gratitude.”

Awards;
1976 '11. 1979 Akbank 'Historical and Tourist Turkey' themed painting competition (Honorable Mention)
1981 '13th Clermont Ferrand Contemporary Arts Exhibition' (Jury Special Award)
1983 Izmir Painting-Sculpture Museum Honorary Plaque
1983 'Bolu and Life in Bolu' themed painting competition (Honorable Mention)
1986 Milan International Exhibition (Third Prize)
In 1988, she received the State Honorary Award from the Ministry of Culture for his "50th Year in Art and Contributions to Turkish Art".
In 2003, she received the Honorary Award jointly with Ferruh Başağa by the Rectorate of M.S.G.S.Ü. among the "Most Senior Living Academics".
In 2003, she was selected as the Honorary Artist at the ARTIST-TÜYAP 13th Istanbul Art Fair. In 2005, she won the Sedat Simavi Awards "Visual Arts Award".

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