Prof. Emin Barın is the calligrapher, bookbinder and graphics artist who designed the coins released for circulation in 1947.
He was born in Bolu, on 2nd of June 1913 as the son of Mehmed Tevfik Efendi who was also a calligrapher and bookbinder.
As he had a deep interest and talent for painting, he succeeded to enroll to the Arts & Crafts programme at Ankara Gazi Institute in 1934. In 1936 he passed the exam for the talented students to be sent abroad for further education. He attended Turkish Decorative Arts programme at the Academy of Fine Arts as an intern and in 1938 was sent to Germany to study bookbinding under Prof. Dorfner. In 1939, he enrolled Printing and Bookmaking Academy at Leipzig. As a student of Prof. Thiemann, he studied modern typography and under Prof. Wiemeler he studied bookbinding.
With the start of the Second World War, he returned to Türkiye and fulfilled his duty in the army. In 1941, to finalize his studies, he returned to Leipzig and graduated in 1943. After his return to Turkey, he became a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, Decorative Arts Department.
In 1946, he was appointed to design the new coinage. In 1953, as part of the 500th anniversary of the Conquest of Istanbul, he made 10 large plaques for prominent landmarks such as The Topkapı Gate and the Galata Tower.
Also in 1953, he created a special font family for the inscriptions for Anıtkabir (the mosoleum of Atatürk).
His students Etem Çalışkan (who was his assistant during the construction of Anıtkabir) and Abdullah Taşçı have also designed Turkish coins. Emin Barın is also a contemporary professor at the Academy of Fine Arts with Namık Bayık and Vedat Ömer Ar.
Cover photo: Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts, Traditional Turkish Arts virtual exhibition
