SADİ DİREN

He was born in 1927 in Istanbul. He graduated from Saint-Michel French High School in 1946. 1947-48 attended the Ankara and Istanbul Faculties of Law. In 1953, he received his Bachelor's degree from Istanbul State Fine Arts Academy (Mimar Sinan University) Ceramics Department. In 1953, He opened his first exhibition at Maya Art in Istanbul. In 1955, he went to Germany following invitation to teach at Offenbach Gradute School of Fine Arts in Germany and worked in the ceramic industry in Höhr-Grenzhausen as a designer while he conducted independent research there. In 1964, he returned to Turkey and joined the decorative and kitchen pottery section of the Eczacıbaşı Ceramic Factories as director and artist. He joined the Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts and in 1970 he was made Professor. He also served as the Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Mimar Sinan University for three consecutive periods. In 1991, he was awarded the "State Artist" title. In 1994, he produced original printmaking at Çamlıca Art House. Some art institutions and museums in which Diren’s art work are included are Hetjens Museum, Istanbul Painting and Sculpture Museum, Milano Adriano Totti, Düsseldorf Peter Florack, Cologne Funke Kaiser, Cologne Keramik Weber. Diren died in Istanbul in 2018.