Turkish sculptors were unable to or did not organise themselves together professionally for a long time until the Sculptors Society was founded in 1948 as Turkish Sculptors Society (Turkish: Türk Heykeltıraşlar Cemiyeti) by Ali Hadi Bara, Nusret Suman, Yavuz Görey, Kamil Sonat, Hüseyin Anka, Ratip Aşir, Kenan Yontuç, Turgut Pura, Hakkı Atamulu and Burhanettin Durupınar. In 1961 the name was changed to Turkish High Sculptors Society (Turkish: Türk Yüksek Heykeltıraşlar Cemiyeti). Through those years till at least 1974 the organisation continued to operate without being able to be recognised as a functioning and effective professional body according to some sources. Other sources have stated that the society has undoubtedly been a necessary organisation for the sculpture world and has become a large artists collective that has even brought forth an important exhibition (1968) with the efforts of İsmail Gökçe, who was the president of the society for some time. Muzaffer Doğan Ertoran was also the president for some time.
