ARTISTS / CAN GÖKNIL
CAN GÖKNİL
Can Göknil was born in 1945 in Ankara. In 1966, after graduating from the American College for Girls (Robert College), she went to the USA. In 1968, she graduated from Knox College. In 1969, she completed her MA at The City College of the City University of New York, School of Fine Arts, Dept. of Painting. She was known for her paintings and book illustrations. Her first illustrated story book for children, Kirpi Masalı was published in 1974 in Istanbul. Göknil worked on printmaking at The Çamlıca House of Art in Çamlıca in 1984 and in 1994. Her works are in various collections, including the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, Museo d'Arte Moderna in San Marino, the Chihiro Museum in Tokyo, Schenectady Museum in New York, the Museum of Humor in Gabrovo in Bulgaria, and throughout Turkey. She was nominated for Turkey Children and Youth Publishing Association, 2010 Hans Christian Andersen Award, and she is the recipient of several children's book awards such as the Jenny Smelik Leggen Prijs (Netherlands, 1988), and The Golden Balloon Award (New York, 1989). She was nominated for the ALMA award, which is considered the Nobel of children's books, in 2015. Fifty of Can Göknil's illustrated books were published in our country, and six were published abroad in English, French, Italian, Hungarian, German, Dutch, Arabic and Turkish. Can Göknil took part in many international events with her books and paintings. In 2016, she established an additional department for the Ege University Paper and Book Arts Museum entitled "Painters and Books of the Children's World." She has also written story books for adults. The artist continues her work in Istanbul.
