A selection of 20th century Turkish paintresses

Turkish paintresses had a unique place of their own within the 150 years of Turkish painting history. This had started with Müfide Kadri and Mihri Müşfik, continued with School of fine arts for women (Inas Sanayi Nefise Mektebi). The lives of these pioneer women have inspired various novels, movies, theaters, etc. This thesis has been prepared to give a perspective for these paintresses. School of Fine Arts for Women founded by the leadership of Mihri Müşfik had been a field for Turkish paintresses to flourish and to produce their paintings. They further improved their knowledge and experience through education abroad which they cascaded to the new generation following their return either at the school of fine arts or outside the school. Turkish paintresses followed by early pioneers have gained special space within the history of Turkish painting with their unique standpoint, attitudes and creativity. This thesis offers a selection of paintresses from our history of painting.