Müzehher Bilen-Pasin 

Müzehher was born in Kastamonu in Turkey. She studied at the Academy of Fine Art in Istanbul between 1954 and 1960 and then spent a year teaching painting and art history.
She left Turkey in 1961 and, after a short stay in Munich, arrived in Paris in 1962 where she set up home and still lives and works today.
Extracts :
"What is most captivating about Müzehher’s work seems to be her landscapes. As the years go by her palette becomes ever brighter: trees of deep greens reveal a richness of depth; light determines the brightness or the bareness of drawings; the ochres of old Parisian walls contrast with the whiteness of the snow and the muted colours of winter skies. Even the streak of a blue bird is treated with the same care and attention.
A poetic interpretation of nature carried out with such apparent ease. Such qualities are revealed in their purest form in the sharpness of her portraits, which sometimes even take on a violent nature. The same techniques are displayed in the still life paintings that concentrate just as much on the appearance of plant stems and foliage, as on the richness of the colours.

Müzehher, all force and fragility, is completely devoted to her art. As with all great artists, she continues to strive for perfection. Marie-Antoinette FLEURY, Honorary Curator of the National Archives, 1987

"Her paintings reveal a fondness for trees, landscapes and cosy interiors in which a subtle palette creates a softness that neither betrays the skill nor the care that goes into each object or shape. The artist chose to exhibit a collection of mosque interiors at the October exhibition in Paris. The architecture, the sheer expanse of each interior and the magnificent ornaments that adorn them convey, thanks to this unobtrusive painter, a sort of poetic mysticism. C.D. Demeure Chateaux magazine, 1998

"She strives to perfect her place in the art world."
Müzehher has worked hard over the years to find her rightful place, weaving her way through experiences, interpretations and the skills and details that she has acquired from nature and life along the way.

Painting, for her, is like a passionate love affair, that she is unable to relinquish and for which she is ready to sacrifice everything. She is profoundly devoted to it. We can see and feel life through her eyes; experience the elation, the emotion, the hope and yet the despair and suffering that this union brings. It is a calm union that guides her above all else. Interpretations that are pure and not exaggerated or contrived are far more sincere and passionate. Yes, passionate!" L. Ruhan Okay, writer, 2001

 Exhibitions :

1959 - 1960 Sehir Gallery , Istanbul, Turkey

1963  Musée Art Moderne, Paris (79ème salon de l´union
        des femmes peintres et sculpteurs)                                                                                      

1968  Muraille Gallery , Besançon, France

1978  Maçka Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey

1987  Rétrospective au musée Villa Ichon, Bremen,
        Germany

1988  G.P. Nadalini Gallery, Paris- Artefiera, G.P. Nadalini
        Gallery, Bologne, Italy

1990  AGF-CCA, Paris "Turkish painters in Paris"

1998  La Capitale Gallery, Paris "Mosque Interiors"

 

1999 Anatolie Cultural Centre, Paris "Tribute to Selim" Guest of honour

2000 - 01 La Capitale Gallery, Paris, (permanent collection)       Works :