For fans of modern art, some Bekler abstract pipes

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jonasclark

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 4, 2013
738
384
Seattle
In another thread, some of my meers were posted. But I decided to take better photos of my Bekler abstracts, especially with the acquisition of nos. 3 and 4. They acquired 70s-ish names, which I felt were appropriate.
This was my first Bekler, and as it has his full name and is dated '74, I think it's unsold Golden Horn stock. The unsmoked pipe came with two shank extensions, one original (of very high-quality stone like the pipe), the other of low-quality chalky meerschaum; I removed the 2nd extension. It came in a CAO box case, and I think CAO got Bekler around '78. Since one of Bekler's series of abstracts for CAO was titled "Homage to Picasso," this pipe with three open loops, carved and polished but then drilled with thousands of tiny pits, became "Picasso 74."

rJKADpJ.jpg

My 2nd (actually my 3rd Bekler, after a 1980 limited series poodle) is also smooth, but with some pretty floral carvings in several spots. It has two holes in the body and, again, has the full "ismet Bekler" sig. It has lost its case, but it does have the brass Golden Horn logo dot in the stem, later adopted by CAO. Naturally, titled "Les Fleur."

SVNvrX0.jpg

Next, only last year, was this unsmoked pipe, smooth, with two holes and a little hook. This is the only one which won't really 'sit.' It has the Golden Horn stem dot (inserted a bit off-center, which I consider charming in a way) and his full name, and has a large, blue velvet-covered box case. Its mate, also beautiful, was in a red case, and family of its former owner always referred to them as 'red box' and 'blue box,' hence "Blue."

aKKeegF.jpg

My latest acquisition is not signed. Being that Bekler's earliest imports to the US, through Irving Korn's Royal, were not signed, and I know that some unsold Golden Horn stock seems to have been taken up and sold by CAO, I believe this to be unsold Royal stock, surviving Golden Horn, then being given a new stem (with brass logo dot) and fitted case by CAO. I know of only two artists who did truly wild abstracts, Bekler and his cousin Kural, and this looks like Bekler's style. It has no holes, but it does stand up, and it has a gorgeous extension with that translucent quality. Due to the appearance of the bowl, when viewed from the front, looking a bit like a swaying sail, it's "Smooth Sailing" from here on!

5G5fzSB.jpg

Questions and comments are appreciated. In the future, I'd love to obtain more of these. I like all of Bekler's abstract pipes, but there are only a handful that I truly love.

 

jonasclark

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 4, 2013
738
384
Seattle
Thanks! He also did some very strange figurals, like his series of shoe- and boot-shaped pipes, and some of the most bizarre erotic stuff I've seen (I've even seen two erotic boot pipes-- really!)

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
These are truly visually interesting. I think I'd have to get used to them as tobacco pipes, but after a time, maybe so.

 

jmui

Might Stick Around
May 5, 2015
52
0
Very interesting shapes! Seeing all these together has made me appreciate these abstract pipes much more! Thank you!

 

jonasclark

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 4, 2013
738
384
Seattle
Some updates to the collection. First of all, having seen several examples from it, I believe "Smooth Sailing" to be, not an early unsigned Bekler, but an edition of his 1982 CAO limited edition titled "a la Rodin." It's unsigned, but it shows all the stylistic hallmarks of that series.
A few months ago, I bought a 5th abstract, which got titled "Coral." I believe this to be one of his earliest signed pipes; I know that, before the "ismet Bekler" sig, be signed a few pipes "BEKLER" in block letters. This one is signed "iSMET," and in a spot I've never seen on any other meer: the bowl rim! One point was broken off and has been glued. It has a spiral extension on one side, a little flat mushroom on another, and several wavy swoops, but like "Smooth Sailing," has no holes.
Its former owner, I'm told, kept a case of depression at bay by collecting LPs and meerschaums, mostly CAO and including several Beklers. Many of the meers, not including this one, had their cases, but for reasons I'll never know, nearly all, including this one, were missing their stems!

z4roXbE.jpg

Then, last month, just as I missed an antique pipe of William I of Prussia (I was bidding out of my budget anyway), from the same seller I won another Bekler abstract for a reasonable price... and this one, I DO believe to be an early, unsigned piece. I know his first signed works (in 1974) were for Golden Horn, and his previous work for Royal was not signed, so perhaps his earliest Golden Horn pipes weren't. This came in a fitted case, with the same label as in my user icon, "Genuine Bekler - Beyond Imagination." This one, another smooth pipe with three holes, looked rather aquatic to me, and in keeping with the 1970s vibe of the others' titles, it had to be "Pisces."

6mWckQX.jpg

Enjoy! I'm always looking for more of these, if anyone has one that's just a bit too crazy for them and they'd like to rehome it with some who loves crazy pipes.

 

jonasclark

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 4, 2013
738
384
Seattle
Unfortunately, there are no galleries of Bekler's work online, but Google Images will find some, and there are always some of his on eBay. Besides abstracts, he carved a lot of faces (I don't think these were always as good as his abstracts), animals (several of his CAO limited edition series were poodles), and some very strange stuff (one CAO edition was boots).
As noted above, but here listed a bit more cohesively: Irvin Korn of Royal Meerschaum discovered him in Turkey around 1970 and began importing his pipes, which were unsigned. In 1973 or 1974, importer Golden Horn got him, and it was in 1974 that his signature on pipes developed; many pipes are dated '74, and he would not date pipes again until 1977, when Golden Horn closed and Cano A. Ozgener's CAO got him. Cano limited his abstracts, and had him doing limited editions, numbered and dated, which included a centennial 1887-1987 Sherlock Holmes series* and at least two series of abstracts, the 1980 "Homage to Picasso" and "a la Rodin" in 1982 (see "Smooth Sailing," above). Circa late 1980s, he simplified his carving and began doing relief designs.
*The Sherlock Homes series was one of the few with brass commemorative plates on the cases. The pipes were "The New Sherlock Holmes" and "The Elementary Watson" (heads), "The Mystery of Sher-Wat" (a relief carving with profiles of the two on the sides), "The Hound of the Baskervilles," and the only non-Bekler, "The Case of the Chamois Calabash" (gourd calabashes covered in chamois or, in a few cases, kid leather or suede), each being a run of 221 pipes, naturally. Aside from abstracts, he also carved a lot of castles, always identifiable by the rocky outcropping continuing under the pipe and at least one recessed door reminiscent of a Union Jack flag. He carved lots of really bizarre pipes, too; I've seen several really weird erotic designs, two erotic pipes in his CAO boots series, many abstracts with parts of nude women morphing out of them, and one depicting a monster-like foot, with the ankle turning into a tree trunk, in the process of kicking a soccer ball. Over the years, he also apparently made a few carvings for Ben-Sim, another importer, and possibly SMS.
Here are two more images for fans of these. I put together this array of his abstracts, most of which I don't own.

RRPRuwC.jpg

This one depicts one of his most common abstract forms: a sort of ship's prow with a flared foot. He carved these for all of his major importers.

MSWMlgM.jpg


 

taazen

Lurker
Jan 6, 2016
19
8
49
Finnsnes, Norway
Thankyou for this inspirational information about Beklers abstract meerschaum pipes. After reading this and seeing all those nice pipes, i just had to get myself one. And today, i got one in my mail.:eek:) I was so lucky to buy one for a great price at ebay. Would love to put out some pictures, but i dont know how. What i got, is a Golden Horn, blue velvet box, with the full "Ismet Bekler" signature. Its nearly used at all. White and shiny. It looks like a duck shaped shoe, so to speak. Its a sitter and has a good size to it. Im in love, and now i just want more. I wish there could be a site where you could see all the abstract pipes that Bekler has made. That would be something. Hopefully i will fix pictures of this pipe to see. And i hope there will be more pictures to come here of Beklers abstract meerschaum pipes. Sorry my pore english. Best regards from Norway.

 

jonasclark

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 4, 2013
738
384
Seattle
Taazen, I'd love to see it. Imgur.com is the easiest (free) way to post photos.
Here's my latest Bekler:
uNm8LBq.jpg


 

taazen

Lurker
Jan 6, 2016
19
8
49
Finnsnes, Norway
Just beautiful. I will try to give you the ebay site where its picture of this pipe:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/172255656691?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

And here is another that i just bought. Im quite sure this is an unmarked Bekler,

http://www.ebay.com/itm/371676578193?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

If this doesnt work, let me know, and i will try what you said.

Best
Edit - here are Tazen's pipes
s-l1600.jpg


s-l500.jpg


 

gordebak

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jul 12, 2016
149
0
For some reason, I can't see any of the imgur images, even on the imgur.com site itself. It might be about legal regulations in my country.

 

taazen

Lurker
Jan 6, 2016
19
8
49
Finnsnes, Norway
I see a team that goes through almost all of Beklers pipes, the mouth of a "duck". In some, you see the shank comes out of it, and in the pipe i have, its under the shank, close to the bottom.

By the way, thanks for helping me out with the pictures.

 

jonasclark

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 4, 2013
738
384
Seattle
Taazen, the first, the Golden Horn, is an excellent Bekler.
The 2nd, the CAO, might be an imitation. I have seen other pipes from CAO where a carver attempted to imitate Bekler's style; this could indeed be his, but also might not be. I own a CAO that's unsigned but is unmistakably his work. If this one is a copy, it's a very close copy. It's still a beautiful pipe.

 
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