Gürdal Duyar
Gürdal Duyar, was a Turkish sculptor.
He is known for his Atatürk monuments as well as for busts of other colorful figures.
Life
He was born in 1935 in Istanbul. After he finished his middleschool education at İstanbul Haydarpaşa school he started to attend high school level classes at Istanbul State Fine Arts Academy in the sculpture department. At the academy he first worked with German sculptor Rudolf Belling and later in the studio of Ali Hadi Bara. He graduated in 1959 and continued free lance from then on.
After graduating he spent some time in France, Belgium and Switzerland where he worked on sculpture and studied architecture, working with sculptor Leon Perrain he developed his stone work skills.
In 1962 he made a 1.50 meter Atatürk bust as requested by the Düzce Municipality.
In 1973 he was one of 20 sculptors selected to create sculptures to be erected in Istanbul for the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish Republic. The sculpture “Güzel İstanbul” which he made for Karaköy Square was considered indecent by the politicians of the time and caused some debate. It was moved to the Yıldız Park.
In 1976 he made Turkish War of Independence depicting Atatürk Monument for Kayseri square however it was straying from the classical style and was not erected.
In the garden of the M.T.A. institute a sculpture named Atatürk ve Madencilik by Duyar responds to classic sculpture ideals.
Among Duyars other works are the Atatürk monuments of Uşak, Burhaniye and İskenderun, The Abdi İpekçi Peace Monument in İstanbul, the Necati Cumalı sculpture in Beşiktaş Vişnezade Park, famous theater actor Sait Faik Abasıyanıks bust in Burgazada in front of the actors house turned museum, and busts of famous artists/actors like Kemal Sunal, Barış Manço, Sadri Alışık and Bedia Muvahhit at the Akatlar Artists park.
On 18 April 2004 he died from lung cancer. His funeral was at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery.
