Tabriz Sculptor Ruhi Tuna Passes Away

 VOA Azerbaijan - November 1, 2021

Ruhi Tuna Working on the Statue of Dr. Javad Heyat, a prominent surgeon, writer, and linguist, renowned for his contributions to modern medicine and preserving Turkish culture and language in Azerbaijan and Iran.

Tabriz-born sculptor, painter, and political activist Ruhi Tuna passed away on October 30 in Toronto, Canada.

According to information obtained by VOA from his close associates, the artist had been suffering from cancer.

Ruhi Tuna began his creative journey in sculpture at a young age. While in Tabriz, he carved statues of prominent Azerbaijani historical figures such as Sattar Khan and Bagher Khan.

Ruhi Tuna: From Prison Cells to Sculpting History

Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, January 1, 2013

Ruhi Tuna alongside the statue he sculpted of Seyyed Jafar Pishevari, the leader of the one-year National Government of Azerbaijan between 1945-46.

"I would chew bread in my mouth to soften it into dough. For the first time, I began making small sculptures with that dough," says Ruhi Tuna, describing his first steps into sculpting. At that time, 16-year-old Ruhi was imprisoned in Qoshachay Prison in West Azerbaijan Province due to his political activities.

Ruhi Tuna: The Azerbaijani Sculptor Bringing History to Life

 Ensafali Hidayat, Voice of America, December 27, 2010

Ruhi Tuna has created statues of numerous historical figures.

Currently residing in Canada, Ruhi Tuna is the creator of the statues of Mohammad Hossein Shahriar in Tabriz and Nəbati in Kaleybar. In addition to his sculpting activities, he also strives to train new artists, which has been an essential part of his artistic career from the beginning.

Azerbaijani sculptor Ruhi Tuna has created over 70 statues placed in various cities across different countries. He has sculpted figures of historical, literary, and national personalities from Iranian Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and other Turkic-speaking nations. Due to restrictions imposed on his artistic work in Iran, he moved to Turkey, where he continued his work for eight years.