FROM THE REFORMATION TO THE REPUBLIC: MASTER ARTISTS, ARTIST STUDENTS

Sakip Sabanci Museum’s (SSM) new collection exhibition presents the historical journey of painting in Turkey and features a total of 115 artworks from the SSM Painting Collection, by artists including Hoca Ali Riza, Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky, Sevket Dag, Hikmet Onat, Huseyin Avni Lifij, Ibrahim Calli and also the pioneering female artist Mihri (Musfik) Hanim. Focusing on the relationship between masters and their apprentices, the exhibition displays the interactions and changes between generations. Artwork by the masters and their apprentices, who acquired mastership by following in their masters’ footsteps, will be displayed side-by-side. The exhibition allows art lovers to trace the social and economic transformation of the country, via the late-discovered but quickly adopted medium of painting. The exhibition tells the story of Istanbul via paintings by ŧbrahim Calli, Nazmi Ziya, Avni Lifij, Feyhaman Duran, Namik Ismail and Hikmet Onat, the so-called “1914 Generation,” who depicted the city with a focus on its streets, houses, historical sites, coastline and the Bosphorus, but at the same time telling the story of Turkey, a country undergoing profound changes. Also, the first artistic group of the Republic, called the Mustakiller (Independents), are represented in the exhibition, reflecting their fundamental importance in Turkish modern art history.

The exhibition is available at SSM from Tuesday to Saturday between 10am and 6pm.