The Turkish Art of Love
The charming, 85-year-old Istanbul poet and painter Habib Gerez buries his Turkish-Jewish heritage in a country where Jewish artists are not accepted
By Jasmine Dilmanian|April 9, 2012 7:00 AM|0Leave a comment
A charming narcissist by birth, and poet and painter by trade, Habib Gerez enjoys the company of young women almost as much as the stroke of a brush or pen. He is fluent in six languages, including French, which used to be requisite knowledge for educated Jews in Turkey; Ladino, a form of Judeo-Spanish; and most recently, Russian, to cater to one or two of his “girlfriends prolongées,” as lawyer and Jewish Museum of Turkey curator Naim Avigdor Güleryüz describes his old friend’s attractive younger partners in serial monogamy. When asked how he learned so many languages, Gerez casually responded in French, “Autodictat.”
More:The 85-Year-Old Poet and Artist of Turkish-Jewish Heritage Habib Gerez Hides His Past – Tablet Magazine