"Self Portrait," Hale Asaf, 1920s.

Asaf (1905-1938) was a Turkish painter who experimented with Cubism and other modern styles at a time when other women artists of Turkey were mostly inspired by Impressionism.

She had a turbulent, wandering life; she was sent from Constantinople to live with an aunt in Rome in 1919, to avoid the Turkish War for Independence. She want to different parts of Europe to study art and to paint, but was dogged by persistent ill health. At one point she became a lover to anti-Fascist author Antonio Aniante, and the two ran a gallery together. However, he ran afoul of Mussolini and the two lost nearly everything. She died of cancer in 1938.

Some of her work endures, but a good deal was destroyed during WWII and the fate of her work that was owned by Aniante is unknown. Most of what remains is in private collections.

From a private collection, of course.

#Art #WomenArtists #TurkishArt #ModernArt #SelfPortrait #HaleAsaf