Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, colloquially referred to as Istanbul Modern (), is a

contemporary art Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a ...

gallery located inside the Galataport complex in the

Beyoğlu Beyoğlu (; ) is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 9 km2, and its population is 225,920 (2022). It is on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey, separated from the o ...

district of

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. Inaugurated on December 11, 2004, Istanbul Modern was Turkey's first modern and contemporary art gallery and focuses on Turkish as well as international artists. It is a private venture under the umbrella of the nonprofit Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts. As of 2004, Oya Eczacıbaşı serves as chair of the board of directors.

History

Early beginnings

Funded by two corporations, the Eczacıbaşı Group and Doğuş Group & Bilgili Holding, Istanbul Modern opened in a former government customs warehouse in the

Karaköy Karaköy (), the modern name for the old Galata, is a commercial quarter in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey, located at the northern part of the Golden Horn mouth on the European side of Bosphorus. Karaköy is one of the oldest and mo ...

neighbourhood in 2004, after a $5 million renovation overseen by Tabanlıoğlu Architects.

Alexander Vallaury building

From 2018 to 2022, during the construction of its new building, the Istanbul Modern collection was temporarily relocated to the former Union Française building in

, designed in 1896 by Alexander Vallaury.

Renzo Piano building

On 4 May 2023, Istanbul Modern reopened in a new building close to its original location in Karaköy. The five-story, building was designed by

Pritzker Prize The Pritzker Architecture Prize is an international award presented annually "to honor a living architect or architects whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment which has produced consisten ...

-winning architect Renzo Piano. The new building offers various exhibition halls as well as educational workshops, a cinema, a library, a design shop, event spaces, and a café and restaurant.

Collection

Istanbul Modern's permanent collection comes from the Eczacıbaşı family, and is supplemented with long-term loans from the Istanbul State Art and Sculpture Museum and from

Deutsche Bank Deutsche Bank AG (, ) is a Germany, German multinational Investment banking, investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and dual-listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange. ...

. The Turkish bank, Türkiye İş Bankası, is another large source with its collection of 2,500 paintings.

Exhibited artists

The Istanbul Modern is predominantly a gallery devoted to Turkish art since the latter half of the 20th century, although it does also include a few older works. Turkish art from its earliest days until the 20th century can be seen in the nearby Istanbul State Art and Sculpture Museum. Major Turkish artists whose work can be seen at the Istanbul Modern include: * Fahrelnissa Zeid * Erol Akyavaş * Nuri İyem * Nejad Devrim *

Adnan Çoker Adnan Coker (; 20 October 1927 – 22 August 2022) was a Turkish abstract artist.)(English mention states "Turkish artists such as abstract masters Devrim Erbil and Adnan Coker") Coker was born in Süleymaniye in Istanbul on 20 October 1927. He ...

* Bedri Rami Eyüböglu * Tayfun Erdoğmuş * Semiha Berksoy * Bedri Baykam * Selma Gurbüz * Yıldız Moran Istanbul Modern also includes the work of a few international contemporary artists. '' Runner'' (2017), a white sculpture by

Tony Cragg Sir Anthony Douglas Cragg (born Liverpool 9 April 1949) is an Anglo-German sculptor, resident in Wuppertal, Germany since 1977. Early life and training Tony Cragg was born in Liverpool."Tony Cragg." ''Contemporary Artists''. Farmington Hills, ...

, greets visitors in front of the entrance.

Controversy

In 2011, eight prominent artists pulled their work in response to claims the museum had rejected a piece by David “Bubi” Hayon for a charity auction. The work was a large seat with a bedpan in the middle, said to be a non-political criticism of the concept of museums.Daniel Boffey (18 December 2022)
Top British sculptor hits back in censorship row over loan to Turkish gallery
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

''.

References

External links

*
Many pictures from the museum reproduced
{{authority control Art museums and galleries in Istanbul Modern art museums Contemporary art galleries in Turkey Art museums and galleries established in 2004 Beyoğlu 2004 establishments in Turkey