Atatürk Monument, Erzurum

Atatürk Monument, located in the square where Erzurum Cumhuriyet and Yenişehir Streets intersect, was built on 23 July 1965 due to the 46th anniversary of the Erzurum Congress. The statue is the work of sculptor Hakkı Atamulu.

Opening of Erzurum Atatürk Monument, 23 July 1965

Atatürk Monument is 2.00 x 13.50 m. by the pool in the square. It is located on a plinth. On this pedestal, a relief describing Atatürk's speech to 54 delegates at the Erzurum Congress was made. On top of that, Atatürk's 3.50 m. A tall statue was erected. In this statue, Atatürk, in his military uniform, holds a sword in one hand and crumples the Treaty of Sevres in the other.

Hakki Atamulu

(1912 - 2006 Derinkuyu, Nevşehir)

He is a sculptor known for his monuments in figurative understanding. Hakkı Atamulu, who completed his secondary education in Nevşehir, was a student of Mahir Tomruk and then Rudolf Belling at the Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts between 1934-38.

He went to Germany in 1938, studied sculpture with Garbo and Arnobrekker in Frankfurt and Berlin, and returned to Turkey in 1939. Atamulu, who realized the "Atatürk" and "Inönü" Sculptures in Malatya with Nejat Sirel in 1946, and the triple composition "Atatürk Monument" in the garden of the Istanbul University Faculty of Economics, designed by Yavuz Görey in 1951, went to Nevşehir in 1960. He settled down and was elected as the mayor of Derinkuyu district. During this duty, which lasted until 1972, he created Kültürpark, which is an open-air sculpture museum in the district.

Without pushing the limits of the material, he often produced figurative works in which full, full masses predominate. He has animated large masses, which he has styled very cleanly, with stylized details. In his monumental works, he was influenced by the traditional idea of ​​monumental sculpture. In the monumental sculptures such as “Atatürk Erzurum Congress” (1965) in Erzurum, “Atatürk” in Bor and “First Step” in Samsun, hard-lined geometric forms were also included by working in a style open to abstract influences, while adhering to the classical taste. Towards the end of the 1970s, he left the figurative understanding and turned to completely abstract works.

Hakkı Atamulu donated his works, books, and the authentic works he compiled to Erciyes University. His works are exhibited at Hakkı Atamulu Artist House in Kadir Has Central Library. It can be visited in the afternoon on Tuesday and Thursday.

Source: 1- www.kenthaber.com, 2- www.hakkiatamulucpl.k12.tr