Overview

This monograph offers a comprehensive exploration of the life and work of Jak İhmalyan (1922–1978), published on the occasion of his exhibition at Dirimart Pera. Tracing his journey from Istanbul to cities across the Eastern Bloc, the book sheds light on an artist who remained committed to painting despite exile, political pressure, and changing geographies. İhmalyan emerged as a promising young painter of Armenian origin before fleeing Turkey in 1949 due to his involvement with the Communist Party. The publication brings together an extensive selection of works from family, private, and institutional collections, presenting İhmalyan’s visual language within the context of his ideological beliefs and international life. His paintings, created across Beirut, Warsaw, Beijing, and Moscow, reflect both personal conviction and a strong social vision. This richly illustrated volume invites a new generation of viewers to rediscover an overlooked figure of modern art and reconsider his place in cultural history. Text in English and Turkish.

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9786055815721

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Jak İhmalyan (b. 1922, Istanbul; d. 1978, Moscow) developed his connection to art at a young age, influenced by his father, the painter Garbis Ihmalyan. After completing school in 1936, he enrolled at Lycée Saint-Joseph and later graduated from Haydarpaşa High School. His meeting with Abidin Dino in the same year further strengthened his interest in painting. In 1939, İhmalyan joined the Communist Party of Turkey and, in 1942, began studying in Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu’s studio at the Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts. However, due to his political views, he was imprisoned for a total of three years in 1944 and 1946. In the following years, periods of exile and imprisonment took him from Istanbul to Beirut, then to Warsaw, China, and finally Moscow. In 1959, he settled in Beijing with his family and worked at a radio station broadcasting to Turkey. In 1961, he moved to the Soviet Union and, in 1963, became a faculty member at the Institute of Oriental Languages at Moscow State University, specialising in Turkology. In 1974, he became a member of the Union of Soviet Artists. He passed away in Moscow in 1978. İhmalyan's exhibitions were held in cities such as Moscow, Tartu, Baku, Tbilisi, Yerevan, Ankara, and Istanbul. His works are part of significant museum, foundation, and private collections, including the State Museum of Oriental Art, Moscow; the Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow; the Orhan Kemal Museum, Istanbul; the Istanbul Museum of Painting and Sculpture, Istanbul; and the National Gallery of Armenia, Yerevan.

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