Süleyman Saim Tekcan was born on October 6, 1940 in Trabzon. Tekcan, who received a bachelor's degree from Ankara Gazi Education Institute, Department of Art Education in 1961, went to Artvin Teacher Training School the same year as an instructor. After Artvin Teacher Training School, Tekcan, who served as reserve officer in Trabzon between 1962-63, was appointed to Erzurum Yavuz Selim Teacher Training School in 1964.

Later, Tekcan, who started working as an assistant principal at Işık High School, bid farewell to cinema after a short stint in the field after taking on one of the main roles in Metin Erksan's cult film, Time to Love. After returning to Trabzon, he started teaching at Trabzon Teacher Training School (1966-68). During this period, Tekcan founded the Gülbahar Kindergarten, the first private education institution in Trabzon. He carried out the management responsibilities of the institution until he relocated to Istanbul with his wife, Emel Tekcan.

Tekcan, who worked as an educator at Istanbul Atatürk Education Institute between 1968 and 1975, established the school’s first printmaking, lithography, serigraphy and etching studios. Tekcan was also instrumental in the realization of etching and serigraphy studios in institutions throughout Anatolia.

He established original printmaking studios at Istanbul Technical University between 1974 and 1975, and conducted relevant trainings there. Also in 1974, Tekcan established his first printmaking studio in Kuyubaşı, and became an instructor at the Istanbul Academy of Fine Arts between 1975 and 1976. At this institution, which was renamed the Mimar Sinan University Faculty of Fine Arts during the 1975-1976 academic year, he began to work as an instructor, while at the same time establishing a screen-printing studio in its Graphic Department. Tekcan, who moved the studio from Kuyubaşı to Söğütlüçeşme in June 1977, simultaneously started to take part in international biennials and triennials in the field of printmaking.

The foundation of recognition as one of the experts in his field both at home and internationally, was laid at this time.

Süleyman Saim Tekcan opened his new studio, the Artess Çamlıca Art House, on October 13, 1984. Artess also housed large galleries, a vast print archive, a library and a guest house. As a result of long years of technical research and experimental studies, the "wet printing" technique developed by Süleyman Saim Tekcan at the end of the 70's began to be recognized by his name in international literature during this period, and is now known as the Tekcan technique all over the world.

Tekcan, who also conducted printmaking seminars at Sarajevo Art Academy in Yugoslavia and Bilkent University in Ankara, displayed his works at a large exhibition held in Sarajevo Academy Gallery in 1987. Süleyman Saim Tekcan became a professor at the Academy in 1985 and was appointed as the Head of the Graphic Arts Department in the same year. Between 1994-1995, he served as the Dean at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Fine Arts Faculty and worked at the same time as the Head of the Graphic Department, while also ensuring the establishment of Anatolian Fine Arts High Schools during the same years. The first of those to be established was the Avni Akyol Anatolian Fine Arts High School in Erenköy. A year later, Anatolian Fine Arts High School continued to be established in Turkey, as the number of these schools has reached 80 today.

After retiring from his position as dean of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Fine Arts Faculty in 1996, Prof. Dr. Süleyman Saim Tekcan went on to establish the Yeditepe University Fine Arts Faculty in Büyükada in the same year, and served as its Founding Dean during the institution’s first academic year.

Süleyman Saim Tekcan founded IMOGA, which has one of the richest collections of all printmaking museums in the world today, in 2004. Tekcan, who was the founding dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Işık University in 2007, pioneered the 1st International Printmaking Biennial project in 2008 and served as the Chairman of the Jury. Tekcan, who decided to continue his career as an educator in a supra-institutionalist in manner in 2011, still continues his work while also serving as the Founding and Honorary Chairman of the Board of IMOGA, the Istanbul Museum of Graphic Arts.