Turkish-Armenian photojournalist Ara Güler hospitalized

PanARMENIAN.Net - Ara Güler, a Turkish-Armenian photojournalist, nicknamed "the Eye of Istanbul" or "the Photographer of Istanbul", who is considered one of Turkey's few internationally known photographers, was hospitalized due to blood pressure fluctuations.

Suffering from renal insufficiency for a long time, Guler undergoes dialysis periodically.

Güler was born in Istanbul on August 16, 1928, to ethnic Armenian parents. He studied at the local Getronagan Armenian High School. Owner of a pharmacy on Istiklal Avenue, his father had a wide circle of friends from the art world of the period. Ara Güler's early contact with this world inspired him to embark on a career in cinema. During his high school years, he jobbed in movie studios and attended drama courses held by Muhsin Ertuğrul, the founder of modern Turkish theater. However, he abandoned cinema in favor of journalism, joining the staff of the newspaper Yeni Istanbul as photojournalist in 1950 and studying Economics at the University of Istanbul at the same time.

Güler's work is collected by international institutions, such as the National Library of France in Paris; the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, New York; University of Nebraska-Lincoln Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery; Museum Ludwig Köln, and Das imaginäre Photo-Museum, Köln.

Güler attaches the greatest importance to human presence in his photographs and describes himself as a "visual historian". He believes that photography should provide a memory of people, of their lives and especially their suffering. While he considers that art lies, he believes that photography can only reflect reality.