TCMA 2020 ANNUAL REPORT

To view TCMA Annual Reports, please visit: www.tspb.org.tr/en Cover: ŞAKİR ECZACIBAŞI - İSTANBUL Born in İzmir in 1929, Şakir Eczacıbaşı was the youngest of Süleyman Ferit Bey and Saffet Hanım’s six sons. He finished primary school in İzmir and went on to study his secondary education at Robert College in İstanbul, upon completion of which he went to the University of London’s School of Pharmacy. On his return to Turkey in 1953, he joined Tunç Yalman, Özcan Ergüder, Oktay Akbal and Özer Esen on the publishing team of Vatan newspaper’s prestigious art supplement, Sanat Yaprağı (Art Leaf). During these years, he established close friendships with Turkey’s leading intellectuals. In 1955, Şakir Eczacıbaşı joined Eczacıbaşı Pharmaceuticals. There, never far from art, he started up Tıpta Yenilikler (Innovations in Medicine), an influential magazine not only in scientific circles but also cultural ones that he published between 1956 and 1967. Between 1960 and 1962, he organized the international award-winning Eczacıbaşı Cultural Films series with Sabahattin Eyüboğlu and Pierre Biro. One of the films in the series, Renk Duvarları (Walls of Color), won the Council of Europe Cultural Film Award in 1964. In 1965, on the recommendation of Henri Langlois, the founder of Cinémathèque Francaise, Şakir Eczacıbaşı co-founded the Turkish Cinematheque with Onat Kutlar which he chaired for the ten years that followed. During this period, long before the launch of the İstanbul Film Festival, the two founders contributed greatly to the development of Turkey’s film industry by introducing films from abroad and fighting censorship laws. One of Şakir Eczacıbaşı’s greatest contributions in the area of publishing was the establishment of Milliyet Sanat, a prestigious art journal, upon Abdi İpekçi’s request in 1972. In addition to working on corporate publications and corporate identity, he led the Eczacıbaşı Group’s involvement in sports by establishing the Eczacıbaşı Sports Club in 1966, which he headed for the next 30 years. Aside from training some of Turkey’s best basketball, volleyball and table tennis players, the club won numerous Turkish championships, and for years represented Turkey in European cups. Şakir Eczacıbaşı became general manager of Eczacıbaşı Pharmaceuticals in the 1970s, chairman of the executive board of the Eczacıbaşı Group in 1980, and chairman of the Eczacıbaşı Group in 1993. Şakir Eczacıbaşı’s interest in photography began in the 1960s. Over the years, his work won acclaim in Turkey and on the international arena, establishing him among the leading contemporary photography artists. During his lifetime, his photographs were put on display in fifteen exhibitions in Turkey and twenty-five abroad, most of which are collected in several books: Anlar/Moments (1983) , Türkiye: Bir Portre (Turkey: A Portrait) (1993), Türkiye Renkleri (Colors of Turkey) (1997), Kapılar ve Pencereler (Doors and Windows) (2001) and Bir Seçki: 1965- 2005 (A Selection: 1965-2005) (2005). In 1968, Şakir Eczacıbaşı began publishing the Eczacıbaşı Photography Almanacs, featuring works by prominent Turkish authors and photographers as well as unknown young talent. He also compiled two well-received books: a collection of writings by Bernard Shaw entitled Gülen Düşünceler (Smiling Thoughts) and another of writings by Oscar Wilde entitled Tutkular, Acılar, Gülümseyen Deyişler (Passions, Sorrows, and Smiling Aphorisms). Awarded the “Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres” of France and the Turkish Republic’s “Medal of Distinguished Service”, Şakir Eczacıbaşı retired from business life in 1996. During his term as chairman of the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), to which he was appointed in 1993, the International İstanbul Festivals significantly increased their international prestige. One of Şakir Eczacıbaşı’s greatest contributions to İKSV, where he served as chairman until he passed away in January 2010, was realizing the aspiration of his eldest brother and co‑founder of İKSV, Nejat Eczacıbaşı to acquire the institution’s new building. Deniz Palas, in Tepebaşı. Şakir Eczacıbaşı contributed prominently to the business and art communities in Turkey. Before his demise, he authored a book of his memoirs, Çağrışımlar, Tanıklıklar, Dostluklar (Associations, Testimonies, Friendships), which was published in September 2010. ŞAKİR ECZACIBAŞI We commemorate with great respect and gratitude the late Şakir Eczacıbaşı, a photographer himself and a connoisseur and supporter of art and culture with invaluable contributions in these areas to our country. We are grateful to Dr. Nejat F. Eczacıbaşı Foundation for the permission to use İstanbul photographs shot by Mr. Eczacıbaşı in our annual report.