In 1950, while Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu was in Paris, he was acquainted with a new art centre (Musee de l’homme) and a very important page was turned over in his art life. In this museum, objects, fabrics, kitchenware, weapons, masks and similar tools from Africa and the far countries of the modern world were being exposed and introduced. Each piece represented an art dimension.  

As a painter, Bedri Rahmi’s primary objective was to see his patterns in every house, which “Block Printing” was the only solution to serve his aim. This handicraft which showed similarities with the art of painting is realized by printing and painting patterns on fabrics, by using durable paint. 

After having returned to Turkey, Bedri Rahmi selected 20 samples among his prints and asked the artisans to produce templates from them. In no time, he prepared a printing workshop and printed his patterns, and took an innovative step and made a fundamental change in printing. These printings were exhibited in Maya gallery in the tunnel, in 1951. In those years, the exhibition created a tremendous impression. With this exhibition, printing transformed from being a craft, and achieved the level of being an art.   

In those years, Bedri Rahmi selected patterns among his paintings, simplified them, produced new patterns and prepared them for printing. At first, Mss. Eren who was an artist just like him printed her husband’s patterns, but after his son Mehmet Hamdi found a new die sinking method, he found the opportunity to print the patterns he liked the most. 

When Bedri Rahmi passed away in 1975, the workshop did not make any products for several years. 

In 1977, Bedri Rahmi’s son Mehmet Hamdi developed a new template preparation method and brought in a new dimension to the art of printing. 

Under the name of “Blue Turtle Art Workshop”, the workshop has been continuing to its activities in accordance with the traditional mentor – apprentice system. Each year, in the first week of June, a traditional block printing exhibition is held in the garden of Bedri Rahmi’s house.