Upon his return to the Academy of Fine Arts in 1932, Yenal found himself in the midst of an important reform process. Once the Republic decided to benefit from the expertise of Western specialists, Swiss architect Ernst Egli was appointed as the Professor and Director of the Department of Architecture in 1930. With the reforms that would radically change the instruction methods of the school he executed during his term, Egli updated the academic architecture curriculum that dated back to Alexander Vallaury and paved the way to a kind of education that would be based on contemporary international principles. With the Egli period, modernism absolutely outweighed Classicism in Turkish architecture education.
As a consequence of extraordinary political conditions, Yenal became part of the work environment of very important architects such as Bruno Taut and Martin Wagner, who had once been pioneers of European avant-garde architecture and were now trying to bring to life their architectural projects in Turkey with the mindset of being in exile. Yenal’s first position upon working at the Academy in 1932 was assistant to Austrian architect Philipp Ginther as instructor of Interior Architecture. Yenal continues his career as an instructor, until his retirement in 1969. He was a well-liked and dedicated teacher. With the white shirt he never took off and the small pencils he held in his hand, he always strived to encourage his students.
For more information about our exhibition, please visit our web site!