Sculptor Raises Profile With Rent Dispute

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 3 March 2019)


Serttaş originals now worth millions (there's no such thing as
bad publicity.)

In Istanbul, a dispute erupted between sculptor Tayfun Serttaş and
a newly-married couple who rented Serttaş's flat in Beyoğlu.  Serttaş
threatened the husband Talha Paksoy, saying "know your place and
don't say foolish things!  If you cross a line I'll let you know in no
uncertain terms!"  Serttaş also entered the flat with a key while
Paksoy's wife was home alone.

When Serttaş entered the flat, Paksoy's wife screamed at him to get
out, prompting a response from the neighborhood grocer who threw
Serttaş out of the house.  The public prosecutor is now asking for a
jail sentence of up to 2.5 years for Serttaş for "violating the sanctity
of the home and threatening."

In his statement, Serttaş claimed that "in the rental agreement,
I put as a condition that one room would remain for me.  My
statues, worth half a million dollars (!), are in this room.  Since I
use this room, I gave the flat for a reduced rent price.  On the day
of the incident I entered the flat just to lock the door of the room
where my statues are.  I didn't know anyone was at home.  His
wife who filed a complaint against me invited me into the house.
I told her to leave and that's when she screamed to the grocer for
help.  I then said to her 'why did you do that?  I didn't do anything
to you.'  And I left the flat."


                            Her grocer-in-shining-armor.