Ara Güler to receive Leica Hall of Fame Award

The world-famous Turkish photographer Ara Güler has been named as recipient of the 2016 Leica Hall of Fame Award. His life’s work will also be honoured in an extensive exhibition at Leica’s Masters of Photography Gallery at Photokina 2016.

One of Turkey’s most significant photographers, Ara Güler has captured his home-city of Istanbul for more than 60 years, achieving global recognition for his unparalleled black-and-white images of the metropolis on the Bosphorus in the 1950s and 60s. The now 87-year-old has also accompanied political developments in his work as a photojournalist, as well as portraying numerous well-known personalities, among them Salvador Dalí, Marc Chagall, Alfred Hitchcock, Willy Brandt, Maria Callas, Bertrand Russell, Pablo Picasso, Indira Gandhi and Winston Churchill.

“Like no other photographer, Ara Güler has documented the subtle and major changes in the world's only metropolis located on two continents, turning him into the definitive chronicler of Istanbul. The imposing images of his home-city and his historical documentation of major political events have significantly shaped 20th century photography. With the Leica Hall of Fame Award, we seek to honour his important and outstanding work as a photographer,” says Karin Rehn-Kaufmann, chief representative of Leica Galleries International.

Ara Güler will be presented with the Leica Hall of Fame Award in Istanbul later this year. The exhibition in his honour is open from 20 to 25 September (10.00–18.00 daily) at Leica’s Masters of Photography Gallery as part of Photokina 2016.