Emel Korutürk | |
|---|---|
| First Lady of Turkey | |
| In role 6 April 1973 – 6 April 1980 | |
| President | Fahri Korutürk |
| Preceded by | Atıfet Sunay |
| Succeeded by | Sekine Evren |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Emel Cimcoz 1915 |
| Died | 12 March 2013(2013-03-12) (aged 97–98) |
| Nationality | Turkish |
| Spouse | Fahri Korutürk |
| Children | Osman Korutürk Selah Korutürk Ayşe Korutürk |
| Residence | Çankaya Köşkü (official) |
| Alma mater | Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University |
| Profession | Painter |
Emel Korutürk (néeCimcoz; 1915 – 12 March 2013) was aTurkish painter and a formerFirst Lady of Turkey.
She was born in 1915 as Emel Cimcoz, the fourth child of Salah Cimcöz and his wife Hasene Hanim. During her early childhood her father was exiled by theAllies of World War I toMalta.
After her primary education, she studied atLycée Notre Dame de Sion Istanbul, a prestigious school for girls. She took private art lessons fromFikret Mualla, but he was fired in 1936 after a violent argument with her father. Following her high school years inLausanne,Switzerland, she graduated from Güzel Sanatlar Akademisi, which is nowMimar Sinan Fine Arts University, in 1936.[1] During her academy years, she was congratulated byMustafa Kemal Atatürk, the first president ofTurkey, for her talent in art in 1933. After academy, she worked together with Turkish painterİbrahim Çallı.
In 1944 she marriedFahri Korutürk, a naval officer. The couple had two sons and a daughter,Osman,Selah and Ayşe.
Between 1960 and 1977 Fahri Korutürk was the commander of theTurkish Naval Forces. After his retirement from the navy in 1960, he was appointed as Turkish ambassador to theSoviet Union (1960–1964) and later toSpain (1964–1965). In 1968 Fahri Korutürk was elected as thesenate member by the president who had the right to name 15 members of the Turkish senate. In 1973, he was elected as the 6thpresident of Turkey. Thus Emel Korutürk became the first lady of the country. In 1980 Fahri Korutürk's term as the president ended and in 1987 he died. Emel Korutürk lived another 26 years and died on 13 March 2013 in Istanbul.[2]
During her term as the first lady, she concentrated on promotingTurkish painting. She was instrumental in presidential receptions to Turkish artists. She also supported the foundation of theAnkara State Art and Sculpture Museum which would be a model for other such museums. In this museum, she began collecting 34 paintings of Turkish artistFikret Mualla.[3] Her painting "Gratitude to Gazi" (referring to "Atatürk") is also exhibited in the museum.
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