Sculpture in Turkey has a history dating back to the early 19th century. The first traces appear in the reliefs seen in architectural decorations; Although human figures were included in these decorations in the pre-Islamic period, there are no human depictions in the reliefs during the Ottoman period. There are records that Pargalı İbrahim Pasha brought and exhibited some statues on his return from the Mohács expedition.
Free sculpture found a place in Ottoman art only with the increasing Western influence in the 19th century. During this period, animal statues began to be used as ornaments in palaces and mansions. Founded in 1883, Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi was opened to train architects and painters, and sculpture education was also given here.
The first well-known sculptor trained by the school was Yervant Oskan (1855‑1914), who also worked as a teacher. İhsan Özsoy, the first sculptor to embrace art as a goal rather than a profession, worked as an antique repairman at the Istanbul Archeology Museum and served as the school's workshop chief between 1908 and 1933.
There is very little information about the lives of people such as Mesrur İzzet, Elen Şeneb, Mehmet Bahri and Basri, who are said to have made sculptures during the Ottoman period; However, a child bust of Mesrur Izzet has survived to the present day. These artists also worked in different fields such as teaching and painting.
With the Republican period, sculptors such as Mehmet Mahir Tomruk (1885‑1954), Ratip Aşir Acudoğu (1898‑1937) and Nijat Sirel (1897‑1959), graduates of Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi, brought a new breath. Since the 1970s, Seyhun Topuz has taken a different direction with his geometric and abstract forms.
