Ahmet Yakupoğlu was born in 1920 in the Saray neighborhood of Kütahya and died in 2016. This multifaceted artist, known as a painter, illuminator, and ney player, received his early education at Derviş Paşa Primary School. After completing his academic training in 1945, he studied the ney under masters including Halil Dikmen, Nurullah Kılınç, and Süleyman Erguner.

Although Yakupoğlu possessed the capacity to hold exhibitions in Paris, he returned to Kütahya and infused his paintings with the local landscape and streetscapes. He depicted nature using direct oil and watercolor techniques on surfaces, earning him the epithet “The Painter of Waters.” He created miniature-scale documentary works of cities such as Istanbul, Amasya, and Konya to preserve their essence. His miniature albums dedicated to Kütahya and his works themed on Nasreddin Hodja anecdotes are particularly notable.

In 1995, his miniature “My Street and the Tile Mosque” earned him the Türkiye İş Bankası Culture and Art Grand Prize. He left behind numerous portraits, albums of wildflowers, and approximately four thousand paintings. Among his most prominent works are the paintings “Peyzaj” and “Kütahya’dan.”

^{Kütahya Ana Sultan Türbesi} (Dome Interior)

Yakupoğlu revitalized classical Turkish music in Kütahya and played a leading role in promoting rebap education, thereby supporting the neyzen tradition. He actively participated in the establishment of the Kütahya Museum (Vacidiye Medresesi) and served as an assistant to Süheyl Ünver at Istanbul University. He also contributed to historical restoration projects and reforestation initiatives in the region, overseeing the entire process of constructing the famous tile mosque from design to execution.

By opening his home to art, he transformed it into a cultural center. Known for his modest personality, he was affectionately called “Ahmet Abi.” He donated his collection of one thousand paintings to his personal foundation and bequeathed his musical instruments, library, and real estate to Dumlupınar University. He was brought to Kütahya on 30 August 2015 and passed away on 2 October 2016. In accordance with his will, he was buried in Ahi Erbasan Cemetery.

Some of his significant publications include:

• Boğaziçi from the Brush of Ahmet Yakupoğlu (1983)
• Rengarenk Kütahya (1991)
• Istanbul in Painting and the Istanbul Painter Ahmet Yakupoğlu (2002)
• Nasreddin Hodja in Miniatures (1999)