Nejad Melih Devrim - Turkish Painting Association

Who is Nejad Melih Devrim? (1923 Istanbul -1995 Poland)

He was born in Istanbul in 1923. He is the child of painter Fahrelnisa Zeid and writer İzzet Melih Devrim. He completed secondary education at Galatasaray High School.

He entered the Painting Department of the Academy of Fine Arts in 1942. He spent part of his time at the academy as a student of Léopold Lévy. During his academy years, he became interested in Arabic letters and abstract Islamic art. In addition, he examined and worked on the mosaics in Hagia Sophia, most of which were from the middle period. He joined the Yeniler Group during his student years.
In 1946, he passed the scholarship exam and settled in Paris. He worked on the stained glass windows of Chartres Cathedral from the year he settled there until 1950. He also examined the mosaics of Byzantine churches in Ravenna. He opened his first exhibition in Paris in 1947.

In his works in which he participated in the Paris School exhibition in 1952, the black and white method he turned to after his trip to Spain in 1951 can be seen. At the end of the same year, in October, he founded the October Hall community. His interest in geometric painting played a role in establishing this community. After a while, he left the group, saying that he had deviated from the group’s principles.

In 1956, he traveled to New York to hold an exhibition. During the time he spent in America, the effects of contemporary American architecture began to be seen in his paintings.

Archived 3 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine., 1960, Paul Éluard's Sens de Tous Les Instants [2] Archived 3 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine. He made illustrations for poetry books called. After 1960, the understanding of art turned towards Abstract Expressionism.
His understanding of painting softened during his visits to different countries between 65-68. He achieved a unique and original style with the colorism he included in the abstract expressionism he focused on.
Devrim spent the last years of his life in Poland, where he settled in the early 90s. He passed away in 1995 in Nowy Sacz, Poland.