State Artist is a honorary title

Title of honor

An honorary title or title of honor is a title bestowed upon individuals or organizations as an award in recognition of their merits.Sometimes the title bears the same or nearly the same name as a title of authority, but the person bestowed does not have to carry any duties, possibly except for...

 issued to artist

Artist

An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...

s by the government of Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

 for their contributions into the Turkish culture. It was established in 1971 by President of Turkey

President of Turkey

The President of Turkey is the head of state of the Republic of Turkey. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office but has some important functions...

 and the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The award is issued for people occupied in various categories of arts: music, dance, theatre, photography, cinema, visual arts, literature, etc.

List of State Artists

By year, according to the list by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey.

1971

• Adnan Saygun, composer
• Necil Kazım Akses
  Necil Kazim Akses
  Necil Kazım Akses was a Turkish classical composer.-Life:Akses studied music and composition in Vienna with Joseph Marx and in Prague with Josef Suk and Alois Hába...
  
  , composer
• Ulvi Cemal Erkin
  Ulvi Cemal Erkin
  Ulvi Cemal Erkin was a member of the pioneer group of symphonic composers in Turkey, born in the period 1904 - 1910, who later came to be called The Turkish Five. These composers set out the direction of music in the newly established Turkish Republic...
  
  , composer
• Mithat Fenmen, composer
• İlhan Usmanbaş
  Ilhan Usmanbas
  İlhan Usmanbaş is a Turkish composer.Born in Istanbul, Usmanbaş grew up in Ayvalık. When he was twelve years old, his elder brother gave him a cello, and began to teach himself to play. After moving back to Istanbul, he studied the cello seriously...
  
  , composer
• Gülay Uğurata, pianist
• İdil Biret
  Idil Biret
  İdil Biret is a Turkish concert pianist, renowned for her interpretations of the Romantic repertoire.-Education:...
  
  , pianist
• Suna Kan
  Suna Kan
  Suna Kan, born on October 21, 1936 in Adana, Turkey. Great Turkish violinist.She started playing the violin at the age of five and gave her first public concerts when she was only nine years old, performing Mozart's A major and Viotti's A minor violin concertos with the Presidential Symphony...
  
  , violinist
• Ayla Erduran, violinist
• Ayşegül Sarıca, pianist
• Verda Erman, pianist

1981

• Nevid Kodallı, composer
• Cemal Reşit Rey
  Cemal Resit Rey
  Cemal Reşit Rey was a Turkish composer, pianist, script writer and conductor.He was born on October 25, 1904 in Jerusalem, and died on October 7, 1985 in Istanbul....
  
  , composer
• Hikmet Şimşek, conductor
• Gürer Aykal
  Gürer Aykal
  Gürer Aykal is a Turkish conductor and Adjunct Professor at Bilkent University. He has been the musical director and principal conductor of the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra since 1999.-Education:...
  
  , conductor
• İsmail Aşan, violinist
• Tunç Ünver, violinist
• Cüneyt Gökçer, actor
• Yıldız Kenter
  Yildiz Kenter
  Yıldız Kenter is a famous Turkish actress and lecturer of English and Turkish descent. - Filmography :* Vatan İçin * Ağaçlar Ayakta Ölür * Anneler ve Kızları * Pembe Kadın...
  
  , actress
• Meriç Sümen, ballet dancer
• Suna Korad, opera singer

1987

• Nevzat Atlığ, choir conductor
• Ayhan Baran, opera singer
• Vasfi Rıza Zobu, actor
• Bedia Muvahhit, actress
• Mükerrem Berk, flutist
• Gülsin Onay
  Gülsin Onay
  Gülsin Onay is a leading Turkish concert pianist.-Education:Born into a musical family, Gülsin Onay began to play the piano at the age of three. Her first teacher was her mother....
  
  , pianist
• Ayten Gökçer, actress

1991

• Necdet Yaşar
  Necdet Yasar
  Necdet Yaşar or Necdet Yasar in the West , is a Turkish tanbur lute player and teacher. A founding member of the Istanbul State Turkish Music Ensemble, he performed throughout the world as a cultural ambassador for Turkey and taught twice at the University of Washington...
  
  , classical Turkish misic
• İsmail Baha Sürelsan, classical Turkish misic
• Alaattin Yavaşça, classical Turkish misic
• Zeki Müren
  Zeki Müren
  Zeki Müren was a prominent Turkish singer, composer and actor. He was famous for his compelling voice and precise articulation in his singing of both established Turkish classical music and contemporary songs.-Biography:Müren grew up in the provincial capital city of Bursa in western Turkey...
  
  , classical Turkish misic
• Teoman Önaldı , classical Turkish misic
• Yesari Asım Arsoy , classical Turkish misic
• Sadi Yaver Ataman, Turkish folk music
• Nida Tüfekçi
  Nida Tüfekçi
  Mehmet Nidâ Tüfekçi, is a Turkish folk singer.Nidâ Tüfekçi dedicated his 83-year-long life to Turkish folk music, and died in the hospital where he was being treated after a heart attack....
  
   , Turkish folk music
• Mustafa Geceyatmaz, Turkish folk music
• Mustafa Turan, folk dances
• Barış Manço
  Baris Manço
  Barış Manço was a Turkish rock singer, composer, and television producer. He composed about 200 songs, some of which were translated into a variety of languages including English, Japanese, Greek, Italian, Bulgarian, Romanian, Persian, Urdu and Arabic...
  
  , pop music
• Hüseyin Sermet
  Hüseyin Sermet
  Hüseyin Sermet is a Turkish pianist and composer. He is a Doctor Honoris Causa by the Boğaziçi and Marmara universities, and was named a State Artist in 1991. He is Co-President of ADAP , based in Paris.-External links:* * www.adapinternational.org...
  
  , pianist
• Güher Pekinel, pianist
• Süher Pekinel, pianist
• Okan Demiriş, opera singer
• Mete Uğur, opera singer
• Macide Tanır, actress
• Bozkurt Kuruç, actor
• Osman F.Seden, film direstor
• Türkan Şoray
  Türkan Soray
  - Biography :Türkan Şoray was born to a government official father, Halit Şoray and her mother, Meliha Şoray, was a housewife. She has one younger sister Nazan, who is also an actress in her own right but is nowhere near as famous as Türkan. After the birth of her younger sister, Türkan's parents...
  
  , film actress
• Hülya Koçyiğit
  Hülya Koçyigit
  Hülya Koçyiğit is a famous Turkish actress. She is considered to be one of Turkish cinema's most famous female leads and has received numerous awards such as at the prestigious Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival and at various other international film festivals...
  
  , film actress
• Orhan Şaik Gökyay, poet
• Tarık Buğra, writer
• Attila İlhan
  Attila Ilhan
  Attilâ İlhan was a Turkish poet, novelist, essayist, journalist and reviewer.-Early life:Attilâ İlhan was born in Menemen in İzmir Province, Turkey. He received most of his primary education in İzmir. However, because of his father's job, he completed his junior high school education in different...
  
  , writer
• Ali Avni Çelebi, painter
• Sabri Berkel , painter
• Turan Erol, painter
• Devrim Erbil , painter
• Hüseyin Arıkan Özkan, sculptor
• Sadi Diren, ceramic art

1998

• Müzeyyen Senar
  Müzeyyen Senar
  Müzeyyen Senar is a Turkish classical music performer. Born in Gököz in the Keles district, Bursa, Ottoman Empire, she is known as the diva of the Turkish Republic.- Discography :- Links :...
  
  
• Mehveş Emeç
• Şefika Kutluer
• Tekin Akmansoy
• Muazzez Abacı
  Muazzez Abaci
  Muazzez Abacı is a Turkish singer. Trained in Turkish classical music, she has achieved considerable popular success in the Arabesk genre.- External links :*...
  
  
• Metin Akpınar
  Metin Akpinar
  Metin Akpınar is a Turkish actor. He has been one of the most successful comedians in Turkey.-Biography:He was born in Aksaray,Istanbul, and graduated from Pertevniyal high school. He pursued his university career in Faculty of Law and Literature at Istanbul.His professional career started in 1964...
  
  
• İzzet Altınmeşe
• Selmi Andak
• Avni Anıl
• Nezihe Araz
• Muzaffer Arıkan
• Orhan Asena
• Semih Balcıoğlu
• Recep Bilginer
• Ali Can
• Koral Çalgan
• İnci Çayırlı
• Merih Çimenciler
• Ali Doğan
• Haldun Dormen
  Haldun Dormen
  Haldun Dormen is a famous Turkish theatre, movie and TV series actor and film director. Dormen is of Turkish Cypriot descent.- Biography :...
  
  
• Armağan Elçi
• Erol Erdinç
• Özdemir Erdoğan
• Musa Eroğlu
  Musa Eroğlu
  Musa Eroğlu is a Turkish folk musician and bağlama virtuoso.He was born in the Mut county district of Mersin. He completed his secondary education...
  
  
• Muazzez Ersoy
  Muazzez Ersoy
  Muazzez Ersoy , is a Turkish classical and folk singer.-Biography:Hatice Yıldız Levent was born on August 9, 1958 in Istanbul to Yaşar and Fatma Levent. Her family originally comes from a Black Sea town in Kastamonu. His father Yaşar was a taxi driver. She married in 1975, when she was just 17...
  
  
• Semiha Berksoy
  Semiha Berksoy
  Semiha Berksoy was one of the first Turkish opera singers, the prima donna of the Turkish opera, a painter, and an internationally acclaimed artist....
  
  
• Zeki Alasya
  Zeki Alasya
  Zeki Alasyam is a Turkish actor and director. Alasya is of Turkish Cypriot descent and is the cousin of Kıbrıslı Mehmed Kamil Pasha....
  
  
• Mengü Ertel
• Orhan Gencebay
  Orhan Gencebay
  Orhan Gencebay is a Turkish musician, bağlama virtuoso, composer, singer, arranger, music producer, music director, and actor.-Early life and musical background:...
  
  
• Nurşen Girginkoç
• Rengim Gökmen
  Rengim Gökmen
  Rengim Gokmen is a Turkish conductor. He is the Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of Presidential Symphony Orchestra and General Director of Turkish State Opera and Ballet.-Early life and education:...
  
  
• Ruşen Güneş
• Fahrettin Güven
• Nedret Güvenç
• Fikret Hakan
  Fikret Hakan
  Fikret Hakan is a prolific Turkish film actor and a recipient of the honorary State Artist, a prestigious title awarded by the Turkish government....
  
  
• Selahattin İçli
• Selim İleri
• Çolpan İlhan
  Çolpan Ilhan
  Çolpan İlhan is a Turkish cinema and theatre actress. She has been awarded the title of 'State artist of Turkey". She has acted in a total of more than 300 films and theatre plays....
  
  
• Yekta Kara
• Cemil Karababa
• Müşfik Kenter
• Kayıhan Keskinok
• Levent Kırca
• Atilla Manizade
  Atilla Manizade
  Atilla Manizade is a Turkish Cypriot opera singer . Manizade has been praised as an artist of great versatility. He has an extensive repertoire of more than forty operas ranging from dramatic roles to buffo parts...
  
  
• Yusuf Nalkesen
• Tankut Öktem
  Tankut Öktem
  Professor Doctor Tankut Öktem was a Turkish sculptor famous in Turkey especially for his monumental works.-Early Years:...
  
  
• Gazanfer Özcan
  Gazanfer Özcan
  Saim Gazanfer Özcan was a Turkish actor.- Biography :Born on January 27, 1931 in Istanbul, Özcan started his career as an actor with the play Hisse-i Şaiya at Vefa High School...
  
  
• Ahmet Özhan
  Ahmet Özhan
  Ahmet Özhan is a prominent Turkish classic music singer, conductor and actor.- Biography :He started singing in Turkish clubs when he was about 18...
  
  
• Münir Özkul
  Münir Özkul
  Münir Özkul is a retired Turkish cinema and theatre actor. He has been awarded the title of "State Artist of Turkey"...
  
  
• Sezen Cumhur Önal
• Kutlu Payaslı
• Ajda Pekkan
  Ajda Pekkan
  Ayşe Ajda Pekkan is a Turkish pop singer and actress. Through a career spanning five decades thus far, Pekkan has released more than 20 albums and, with Sezen Aksu, is the most commercially successful female Turkish music artist with the sales of over 30 million copies worldwide. She is nicknamed...
  
  
• Ali Poyrazoğlu
• Ozan Sağdıç
• Mustafa Sağyaşar
• Samime Sanay
• Emel Sayın
  Emel Sayin
  Emel Sayın is a Turkish singer of Turkish classical music. She styles herself the "queen and ambassador of Turkish classical music"....
  
  
• Timur Selçuk
  Timur Selçuk
  Timur Selçuk is a renowned Turkish singer, pianist, conductor and composer.- Biography :He is a son of the legendary Turkish neo-classical music composer, Münir Nurettin Selçuk, and the elder brother of the jazz drummer and composer Selim Selçuk. He started playing piano at the age of five and...
  
  
• Nedret Selçuker
• Nesrin Sipahi
• Ferit Sidal
• Kamil Sönmez
• Muammer Sun
  Muammer Sun
  Muammer Sun is a Turkish composer of classical music.-Biography:He entered the Military Band School in 1947 and the Ankara State Conservatory in 1953. He studied under Ahmet Adnan Saygun on composition, Hasan Ferit Alnar on conducting, Muzaffer Sarıözen on folk music, M.R...
  
  
• Gülriz Sururi
• Dinçer Sümer
• Şener Şen
  Sener Sen
  Şener Şen is a Turkish film and theatre actor, who has won the Golden Orange for Best Actor twice for his roles in Mr...
  
  
• Ziya Taşkent
• Orhan Taylan
• Okay Temiz
  Okay Temiz
  Okay Temiz is a leading Turkish fusion jazz percussionist and drummer.-Discography:* Maffy Falay & Sevda: ditto. * Maffy Falay & Sevda: Live at Jazzhus Montmartre....
  
  
• Zekai Tunca
• Neriman Altındağ Tüfekçi
• Dilek Türker
• Nejat Uygur
• Necdet Varol
• Gönül Yazar
  Gönül Yazar
  Gönül Yazar , born in the port city of Izmir on Augsust 12, 1936, is a popular Turkish singer and actress. She is one of the most famous Turkish entertainers of all time with a peak in 1960s and 1970s. Her sister Belkıs Özener is also a singer.At the age of 14, she won a singing competition called...
  
  
• Jale Yılmabaşar
• Nilüfer Yumlu
  Nilüfer Yumlu
  Nilüfer Yumlu is a Turkish pop singer known as Nilüfer.In 1992, one of her biggest hits, Show Yapma, included in Yine Yeni Yeniden album...
  
  
• Metin Yurdanur
• Gülşen Tatu