Abidin Dino
A painter whose fluid lines captured the soul of Istanbul and the struggles of ordinary people, he lived in artistic exile for his leftist ideals.
1913–1993 (age 80)·Turkish artist·Birthday: March 23·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Abidin Dino's art was always in conversation with the streets. Emerging in Istanbul in the 1930s, his early drawings and paintings focused on fishermen, workers, and the urban poor, rendered with a expressive, sometimes grotesque, line that showed the influence of social realism. This political engagement put him at odds with the authorities, leading to exile in the 1940s. His years abroad, spent in Paris and other European cities, immersed him in the circles of major artists like Picasso and Gertrude Stein, refining his style but never dulling his social edge. Returning to Turkey in the 1950s, he produced some of his most iconic work: the 'Fingers' series, where hands became landscapes of emotion, and his later, luminous paintings of Istanbul's silhouette and the Aegean Sea. Dino was more than a painter; he was a filmmaker, a writer, and a cultural critic whose entire body of work pulses with a deep, humane connection to the rhythms and conflicts of everyday life.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Abidin was born in 1913, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Abidin Was Born
The biggest hits of 1913
Abidin's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1913Born
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1918Started school
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1926Became a teenager
Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket
President: Calvin Coolidge"Baby Face" — Jan Garber
1929Could drive
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1931Could vote
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1934Turned 21
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1943Turned 30
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1953Turned 40
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1963Turned 50
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1973Turned 60
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1983Turned 70
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1993Turned 80
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
Key Achievements
- Co-founded the influential 'D Group' of avant-garde artists in Istanbul in 1933.
- Created the celebrated 'Fingers' series, exploring expression and communication through depictions of hands.
- Directed the seminal Turkish documentary film 'The Dark World' in 1952.
- His works are held in major collections including the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art and the Paris Musée d'Art Moderne.
Did You Know?
He was a close friend of the poet Nazım Hikmet, and illustrated several of his books.
While exiled in Paris, he worked as an assistant to the filmmaker Alain Resnais.
His wife, Güzin Dino, was a renowned literary scholar and translator of French literature into Turkish.
A major cultural center in Istanbul, the Yapı Kredi Abidin Dino Museum, is named in his honor.
““The artist's duty is to reflect the age in which he lives.””
