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Ah Güzel İstanbul (Ah Beautiful Istanbul)

Exhibition

Dates: Wednesday, March 06, 2024 ~ Tuesday,
September 03, 2024

Venue: İstanbul Sanat Merkezi

Istanbul Art Museum at the Haliç Shipyard, which opens its doors to the pub-
lic through art, presents the portrait of Fatih Sultan Mehmet by the famous
painter Bellini, which was recently brought to the city by the Istanbul Metro-
politan Municipality, in the exhibition titled Ah Güzel İstanbul (Ah Beautiful
Istanbul)! The opening exhibition of the Istanbul Art Museum, located at the
Haliç Shipyard—a historic maritime heritage site of the Ottomans and one
of the oldest shipyards still in operation worldwide—features over 300 works
from ten different collectors, including the İBB Collection and the collection
of President Ekrem İmamoğlu. The exhibition, Ah Güzel İstanbul (Ah Beau-
tiful Istanbul) showcases these artworks to art enthusiasts. One of Istanbul’s
most comprehensive contemporary art exhibitions, Ah Güzel İstanbul (Ah
Beautiful Istanbul) is open to visitors at the city’s new cultural center, Istan-
bul Art, until September 3 rd .

The Istanbul Art Museum, located at the Haliç Shipyard and bringing a fresh perspective to the city’s cultural life, is hosting the
Ah Güzel İstanbul (Ah Beautiful Istanbul) exhibition, which brings together various collections and institutions under one roof.
The exhibition, prepared as a result of a collective effort, brings together leading collections from the art world with the viewers.
These include the Bilge Collection, Dr. Şükrü Bozluolcay Collection, İBB Collection, İBB President Ekrem İmamoğlu Collection,
İyem Collection, Lale-Cengiz Akıncı Collection, Mustafa Taviloğlu Collection, Meir Dalva Collection, Merey Collection, and Ulaş
Değirmenci Collection.

Portrait of Fatih at the Shipyard of Fatih’s Legacy

As part of the Ah Güzel İstanbul (Ah Beautiful Istanbul) exhibition, which traverses different periods, layers, and forms of expres-
sion to trace the artistic heritage of Istanbul, İBB’s rich collection, which fundamentally belongs to the people of Istanbul, is also
being showcased to art enthusiasts. One of the special encounters in the exhibition is the reappearance of one of the unique pieces
from the İBB collection: the portrait of Fatih Sultan Mehmet, the ruler of Istanbul, brought together with the people of Istanbul
in his own city at the shipyard, which is a legacy of Fatih. The significance and uniqueness of the portrait painted in Gentile Bel-
lini’s workshop lie in the fact that it is one of only three surviving oil paintings from the 15th century.

The “Ah Güzel İstanbul” exhibition offers visitors the opportunity to view not only the portrait of Fatih Sultan Mehmet but also
the painting of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent by the Italian artist Cristofano Dell’Altissimo and the medallion of Fatih Sultan
Mehmet by Costanzo da Ferrara.

Over 300 Works at the “Ah Güzel İstanbul” Exhibition

At the ongoing “Ah Güzel İstanbul” exhibition at the Istanbul Art Museum, over 300 artworks are on display by esteemed Turk-
ish artists, including Süleyman Seyyid, Hoca Ali Rıza, Şehzade Abdülmecid Efendi, Halil Paşa, Avni Lifij, Feyhaman Duran,
İbrahim Çallı, Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, Komet, Avni Arbaş, Eren Eyüboğlu, Fikret Mualla, Hikmet Onat, Fahrelnissa Zeid, Şevket
Dağ, Zeki Kocamemi, Burhan Doğançay, Cihat Burak, Hamit Görele, Naile Akıncı, Mehmet Güleryüz, Ferruh Başağa, Neşe
Erdok, Tevfik Fikret, Recaizade Mahmut Ekrem, Mıgırdiç Civanyan, Mihri Hanım, Sabri Berkel, Hale Asaf, Fikret Otyam, and
Selma Gürbüz.

The “Ah Güzel İstanbul” exhibition is open for free visits at Istanbul Art Museum every day except Monday from 10:00 AM to
7:00 PM until September 3, 2024. One of the oldest shipyards in the world still in active operation, the Haliç Shipyard, continues
to serve under Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) City Lines Inc. and is now home to Istanbul’s new cultural, artistic, and
living center, Istanbul Art. The historic shipyard, which has completed comprehensive restoration work by the İBB Department
of Science Affairs and the repurposing process undertaken by İBB Miras, has set an exemplary standard for transformation. Re-
opened as Istanbul Art Museum, it has become the city’s first public contemporary art museum and also features a festival area,
performance arts center, children’s art workshop, restaurant, and museum shop. The 600-year maritime heritage of the Ottoman
Empire and the historic Haliç Shipyard, a legacy of Fatih Sultan Mehmet, the architect of the Conquest of Istanbul, will continue
to be an integral part of urban life as a new cultural and social center alongside its traditional shipyard functions.