The painting collection of Sakıp Sabancı Museum has reopened to visitors with a renewed selection, now on permanent display.
According to a statement from the museum, the collection, first initiated by Sakıp Sabancı in the 1970s and enriched over time with new acquisitions and long-term loans, is now presented in the museum’s modern galleries with the support of Sabancı Holding.
Initiated by Sakıp Sabancı in the 1970s and enriched over time with new acquisitions and long-term loans, the collection is now presented in the museum’s modern galleries with the support of Sabancı Holding.
Spanning from the late Ottoman period to the early years of the Republic, the exhibition brings together not only paintings but also photographs, postcards and archival documents, allowing visitors to trace the transformation of Turkish art within its broader cultural context.
The selection offers a narrative journey from 19th-century Ottoman painting to modern Turkish art, addressing key turning points such as the emergence of art education in military schools, the influence of the imperial court and the early stages of academic art training.
It also explores themes ranging from early nude studies and the first exhibition practices to the impact of European modernist movements and the search for a local modernism, highlighting how Turkish painting evolved across different periods.
The collection brings together leading figures of Ottoman and Turkish art, including Osman Hamdi Bey, Şeker Ahmed Paşa, Süleyman Seyyid, Halil Paşa, Hüseyin Zekai Paşa and Hoca Ali Rıza.
Artists who shaped the early 20th-century art scene, such as İbrahim Çallı, Hikmet Onat, Avni Lifij, Nazmi Ziya Güran and Mihri Müşfik Hanım, are also featured.
The exhibition further includes works by modern Turkish artists such as Fikret Mualla, Hale Asaf, Nurullah Berk, Nuri İyem and Selim Turan, reflecting diverse aesthetic approaches and artistic experimentation.
The collection also highlights the influence of international movements such as Impressionism, Expressionism and Cubism on Turkish painting.
The exhibition is enriched by long-term loans from multiple collections, including the museum’s Emirgan Archive and Avni Lifij Archive, as well as the Seyhun Binzet Postcard Collection, Istanbul University’s Feyhaman Duran Culture and Art House Collection, the Nedret Kuran Collection and the Aksoy and Merey family collections.
Beyond the artworks, a dedicated section focuses on research, conservation and restoration processes, presenting the museum’s scientific research projects under the title “Beyond the Visible.”
The Painting Collection is displayed in the gallery on the basement level of the museum, while the historic Atlı Köşk and its garden, along with the Decorative Arts Collection and the Book Arts and Calligraphy Collection, form part of the museum’s other permanent exhibitions. Temporary exhibitions can be visited in galleries on basement levels two and three.
