The Ara Güler exhibition in London, which was established by the Turkish Presidency to showcase the talent of the late Turkish-Armenian photojournalist, was included on a travel magazine's list of the top 10 places to visit during a weekend in London.
The New York-based Conde Nast Traveler magazine introduced the exhibition, which opened on Tuesday at the Saatchi Gallery, one of the most prominent art centers in the U.K.
"Guler was known for his striking portraits of influential historical figures from Winston Churchill to Alfred Hitchcock. The black and white photographs, taken using his favorite Leica M camera, show the poetic, captivating nature of his subjects," the article said of the photographer, who died in October at the age of 90.
British Europe Minister Sir Alan Duncan and Turkish Ambassador Ümit Yalçın on Tuesday participated in the opening ceremony of the exhibition, which was curated by the Turkish Presidency, in cooperation with Doğus Group and the Ara Güler Museum Archives and Research Center in Istanbul.
"He saw himself as a visual historian, as a photojournalist," Duncan said at the ceremony.
"He put the plight of his fellow men at the heart of his visual histories, particularly in his evocative black and white portraits of Istanbul; hustling and bustling in the age before the nasty motor car," he added.
The works of the late photographer will also be exhibited in Paris, Kyoto, New York, Rome and Mogadishu.
The exhibition includes the Güler's photographs of Istanbul, Anatolia and locales around the world, as well as a selection of historical portraits, including those of Turkish minstrel Aşık Veysel, writer Nazım Hikmet and Spanish artists Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali.
In the London exhibition, a special place was allocated for the portraits of figures that influenced the history and art of Britain, such as Winston Churchill, Alfred Hitchcock and Bertrand Russell. Likewise, important figures of each society in the designated countries will be added to the exhibition's selection.
Güler was born in Istanbul in 1928. He worked as a Near East photojournalist for Time-Life magazine in 1956, for Paris Match in 1958 and also Stern magazine. Magnum Photos also published Güler's photos globally, and in 1961, he became the first Turkish member of the American Society of Magazine Photographers (ASMP).
In 1962, he was awarded the Master of Leica title in Germany and was featured in a special issue of Swiss Camera magazine, one of the world's leading photography publications. Güler also photographed the images for Lord Kinross' "Hagia Sophia" book published in 1971 and the cover photo for "Picasso: Métamorphose et Unité" published by Skira Books to celebrate Spanish artist Pablo Picasso's 90th birthday.
His images on art and art history were published by Time-Life, Horizon, Newsweek and Skira Publishing House.
Güler's photographs of famous Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan's buildings were published in a book titled "Sinan: Architect of Suleyman the Magnificent" in France in 1992 by Edition Arthaud Publications and in the U.S. and U.K. by Thames & Hudson Publications.
In 2002, he was awarded the "Légion d'honneur: Officier des Arts et des Lettres" by the French government, and in 2009, he received "La Médaille de la Ville de Paris" from the Paris Municipality.
Güler was presented the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey Culture and Arts Grand Award in 2005, the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism Culture and Arts Service Award in 2008, the Turkish Grand National Assembly Superior Service Award in 2009, the U.S. Lucie Awards Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009 and the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism Culture and Arts Grand Award in 2011.
