The 50th Anniversary of the Republic Sculptures (Turkish: Cumhuriyetin 50. Yılı Heykelleri) are 20 sculptures erected in Istanbul that were created by selected Turkish sculptors to mark the 50th anniversary of the Turkish Republic. The sculptures were erected in various parks and squares in Istanbul in around 1973. Many of them were damaged, destroyed, lost, or moved, and only a handful remain today.
It was difficult for Turkish sculptors to get their works seen in the years between 1950 and 1960; what sculptors needed was for their sculptures to be displayed in public spaces. There were very few public sculptures, other than monuments, in Turkey until 1973. In May 1972, the Committee for the 50th Anniversary of the Republic Celebrations gathered at the headquarters of the Governor of Istanbul. It initially planned to commission 50 sculptures to mark the anniversary; however, due to limited funds the number was reduced to 20. On 13 September 1973, the sketches and photographs sent by the 20 selected artists were approved by the board members of the committee. The initiative was a turning point for Turkish sculpture. For the first time, sculptors were given a chance, outside the scope of monuments, to create sculptures for predetermined locations. This allowed a shift towards modern sculpture. The result of the project was 20 sculptures erected in public spaces in Istanbul by important sculptors which reflected their original sculpting style.
Many of the sculptures were lost, damaged or removed (or both), some only a few days after they were erected. Turkish: [[Güzel İstanbul]], by Gürdal Duyar, was found by certain traditional conservatives to be "indecent"; it was removed from Karaköy Square and eventually taken to Yıldız Park. Turkish: İşçi by Muzaffer Ertoran was targeted in attacks. The fate of Nusret Suman's Turkish: Mimar Sinan is unknown. Turkish: İkimiz by Namık Denizhan was removed due to "damage from external factors". Turkish: Birlik by Mehmet Uyanık was demolished by a municipal compressor gun in 1986. Turkish: Yükseliş by Bihrat Mavitran was destroyed for road construction in 1984. Turkish: Yağmur by Ferit Özşen was damaged and eventually removed. Abstract sculptures which were lost include one by Füsun Onur which was removed during Bedrettin Dalan's municipal tenure in 1985, one by Seyhun Topuz which collapsed due to "natural causes" in 1984, and one by Tamer Başoğlu which disappeared in 1986, while those by Yavuz Görey and Metin Haseki were probably stolen for their bronze and copper.
| Name/Type | Sculptor | Location | Medium | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkish: İşçi Heykeli ('Workers Statue') | data-sort-value="Tophane" | Tophane | Concrete | Attacked and damaged for years and eventually removed in 2016 | [1] | |||
| Turkish: [[Güzel İstanbul]] ('Beautiful Istanbul') | data-sort-value="Karaköy Square" | Karaköy Square (10 March – 18 March 1974) Yıldız Park (3 May 1974 – present) | Concrete | Installed 10 March 1974. Removed from Karaköy and damaged in the process after public debate about its appropriateness. Later it was moved to Yıldız Parkı, where it was eventually re-erected. | ||||
| Turkish: Yağmur ('Rain') | data-sort-value="Beşiktaş, Arnavutköy" | Arnavutköy Akıntı Burnu | Iron | Removed in 1987 when the road parallel to the beach was widened | ||||
| data-sort-value="Negative Form" | Abstract: Negative Form | data-sort-value="Dolmabahçe" | Gümüşsuyu Park, Dolmabahçe | Copper | Stolen the same day or a week after it was inaugurated | ||
| Abstract:Turkish: Yükseliş ('Ascension') | data-sort-value="Harbiye, Şişli" | in front of the Hilton Hotel in Harbiye | Aluminium | Lost in 1979 during road construction | ||||
| Turkish: İkimiz ('The Two of Us') | data-sort-value="Taksim, Istanbul" | Concrete | Removed following the 1980 Turkish coup d'état. It was removed by Denizhan himself after being damaged by external causes – or, according to some rumors, it was removed at the order of a colonel who was acting as the Mayor of Şişli at the time. | |||||
| Abstract | data-sort-value="Maçka, Istanbul" | Maçka | Concrete | Stands in its original location, | ||||
| Abstract | data-sort-value="Bebek, Istanbul" | Bebek Park | Copper | Stands in its original location, | ||||
| Turkish: Bahar ('Spring') | data-sort-value="Emirgan, Istanbul" | Emirgan Park | Concrete | First placed in front of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, then removed and placed in a few different locations, the last being in front of the Yellow Kiosk in Emirgan Park where it remains today. | [2] | |||
| data-sort-value="Dayanışma" | Abstract: Turkish: Dayanışma ('Solidarity') | Fındıklı Park | Concrete | Stands in its original location, [3] | ||||
| data-sort-value="Yankı" | Abstract: Turkish: Yankı ('Echo') | Gümüşsuyu Park | Sheet metal | In 2012 the sculpture underwent conservation efforts.[4] Stands in its original location [5] | ||||
| Abstract | Fındıklı Park | Aluminium | Removed in 1985 during organisations of the Fındıklı Park | |||||
| Abstract | data-sort-value="Taşlık Park, Beşiktaş" | Taşlık Park, Beşiktaş | Bronze | May have been stolen for its material, disappearing around 1984; or it was destroyed in 1984 when struck by a lorry. | ||||
| Turkish: Birlik ('Unity') | data-sort-value="Beşiktaş, Barbaros" | Barbaros Boulevard, Beşiktaş | Concrete | Removed in 1986 by being broken down with a compressor following a statement by the mayor of Beşiktaş calling the sculpture "unnecessary" and "meaningless". | [6] | |||
| Turkish: Mimar Sinan (Mimar Sinan) | data-sort-value="Saraçhane Park, Fatih" | Saraçhane Park, Fatih | Concrete | Lost in 1980 | ||||
| Abstract | data-sort-value="4 Levent" | 4. Levent | Iron | Collapsed from natural causes in 1984; some years later it was removed entirely during roadworks. | [7] | |||
| Turkish: Figür ('Figure') | data-sort-value="Harbiye, Şişli" | Orduevi Garden, Harbiye | Concrete | First erected in front of the Muhsin Ertuğrul stage and later relocated to the garden of the Turkish: [[:tr:Harbiye Orduevi|Harbiye Orduevi]] with its expansion. At some point it was moved to behind the Turkish: [[:tr:İstanbul Radyoevi|İstanbul Radyoevi]], where it stands today. | [8] | |||
| data-sort-value="Bediha Muvahhit" | Abstract: Turkish: Bediha Muvahhit Anısına (In Honor of Bediha Muvahhit) | data-sort-value="Fatih" | Yenikapı, Fatih | Iron | Stolen by scrap dealers or was otherwise removed in 1986 | |||
| data-sort-value="Tavus" | Abstract: Turkish: Tavus ('Peacock') | data-sort-value="Eminönü" | Gülhane Park, Eminönü | Iron | Removed from Gülhane Park in 1984 by the Parks and Gardens Directorate | |||
| Turkish: Çıplak ('Nude') | data-sort-value="Eminönü" | Gülhane Park, Eminönü | Concrete | Removed during renovation of the park |
In 2011, seven of the sculptures were cleaned and restored as part of the "sculpture project". Hüseyin Anka Özkans' Turkish: Yankı was reportedly restored to its original state. it was planned to restore the Turkish: Abstract in Maçka, Turkish: Bahar in Emirgan Park, the Republic 50 Years Monument in Galatasaray Square, Turkish: Dayanışma in Fındıklı Park, Turkish: Figür in front of the Muhsin Ertuğrul Theater, and the abstract sculpture at Bebek children's park.