The master, who was born in Beyoğlu on August 16, 1928, was baptized with the name "Mıgırdiç Ara Derderyan".
Güler, who took his first name from Ararat King Ara Geghetsik and his second name from his grandfather, acquired his current surname with the Surname Law. Güler, who grew up under the supervision of nannies and caregivers during her childhood, was educated at Pangaltı High School (Mıhitaryan Monastery School), Galatasaray High School and Getronagan Armenian High School.
His father's gift was the turning point in his career
His interest in cinema during his youth changed direction with a camera his father gave him as a gift when he was in high school. After high school, Güler enrolled in Istanbul University, Faculty of Economics, Institute of Journalism, which was established as the first example of its field in Türkiye, and worked in many Armenian newspapers, especially Jamanak.
Güler, who made his breakthrough in the media world by stepping into Yeni İstanbul newspaper in 1950, worked at Hürriyet for a while after his military service. From there, he moved to Hayat magazine and worked as the photography service chief. During these years, he received the title of the only member accepted from Türkiye by the American Media Photographers Association, and also completed his undergraduate education at the Faculty of Economics.
He took photographs of the world-famous painter Picasso
In 1953, Güler met the world-famous French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson and joined the staff of the prestigious Paris-based Magnum Agency. The master photojournalist, who became the Near East representative of Time-Life, Paris-Match and Der Stern magazines in 1958, was listed as one of the seven best photographers in the world in the British Journal of Photography Year Book published in England in 1961.
The master name, who was deemed worthy of the "Master of Leica" title, which was granted to very few names in Germany in 1962, and who devoted the pages of the Swiss-based Camera magazine to him with a special issue, delivered the historical shots he took during the May 27, 1960 intervention and the developments in Cyprus in 1964 to the international press.
Güler, who traveled all over the world and presented his photo interviews to the world through Magnum Agency, made unforgettable interviews with world-class personalities such as Winston Churchill, Indira Gandhi, painter Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Alfred Hitchcock, Bertrand Russell, John Berger, Bill Brandt, Ansel Adams and Imogen Cunningham, as well as İsmet İnönü, Yaşar Kemal, Aziz Nesin, Kemal Tahir and Orhan Kemal.
Some of his photographs were turned into a book
The selected photographs of the master, who was honored with the first prize in photojournalism by the Turkish Journalists Association in 1979, were compiled into an album by Karacan Publishing the following year. Art historian Prof. Dr. This work of Güler, who prepared the visuals for the book "Mimar Sinan", written by Aptullah Kuran and published by the Hürriyet Foundation in 1986, was translated into English in 1987.
Photographs of Mimar Sinan's works, which he worked on for years, were published under the name "Turkish Style" in England, the USA and Singapore, and under the name "Demeures Ottomanes de Turquie" in France. The master journalist also photographed the work of the Fisherman of Halicarnassus (Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı) titled "The Sixth Continent" under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1991.
He died in the hospital where he was treated
Güler, who died on October 17, 2018, in the hospital in Istanbul where he was treated for heart and kidney failure, was 90 years old.
Upon Güler's death, many politicians, writers, journalists and academics, especially President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and then-Armenian President Armen Sargsyan, expressed their condolences.
Following the commemoration in Galatasaray Square on October 20, 2018 and the religious send-off at Beyoğlu Üç Horan Armenian Church, Güler was buried in Şişli Armenian Cemetery.
A huge heritage of more than 2 million squares
Works produced by Güler's lens are exhibited in the permanent selections of the National Library of Paris, the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, USA, the Sheldon Collection of the University of Nebraska and the Das Imaginare Photo-Museum in Cologne Museum Ludwig.
Among the awards of Ara Güler, who brought unforgettable shots to the art of photography and has more than 2 million photographs in his archive, are the Presidential Culture and Arts Grand Prize and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism Culture and Arts Grand Prize.
Ara Güler had more than 100 group and personal exhibitions in various countries, including Germany, Italy, France, the USA and Japan, from 1964 to 2018.
Ara Güler Museum was opened in Şişli Bomontiada on August 16, 2018, the 90th birthday of Güler, who reflected the spirit of Istanbul on his camera. The museum, which aims to bring Güler's versatile artist identity, inspiring life and archive to the masses, became a Private Museum of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2022.
