Glimpse the beautiful city of Istanbul in a display of oil paintings by Turkish artist Acar Baskut, on display Nov. 16-18 at the Turkish Embassy in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward.
Baskut is known for his stage designs, including two for dramas by his father, Cevat Fehmi Baskut, a renowned journalist and playwright.
Baskut first began to create stage designs during his student years at Galatasaray College, Istanbul. Encouraged by his father, he entered the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich in 1959 where he mastered scene construction.
Baskut's fame meant that he was invited to create sets for operas such as "Carmen" and "Il Travatore." Baskut also produced oil paintings, in a style often described as Post-Impressionist. His pictures mirror the daily lives of the people of Istanbul, with familiar images of nature, the sea and steamboats.
Since then, he has held solo exhibitions throughout the world, including Munich, Moscow and Tokyo. One of his paintings, "Mother and Child," was selected for inclusion in the 1995 UNICEF calendar, alongside the works of artists such as Picasso and Renoir.
