Pera Museum Opens New Season with Two Different Exhibitions
At a press conference held at the Pera Museum, two new exhibitions bringing together early Republican-era Istanbul and important figures of abstract painting were introduced.
Pera Museum has opened its new art season with two comprehensive exhibitions titled "Behind the Camera of the Republic" and "Frank Bowling: Creation and Destruction, with Intervention by Francis Bacon and Victor Willing."
Introduction via Press Conference
Pera Museum opened its new season with a widely attended press conference held at the museum building.
Museum directors, institute representatives, and the curators of the exhibitions attended the presentation meeting.
Behind the Camera of the Republic
Curated by İdil Çetin and Ahmet A. Ersoy, the exhibition covers the period from the 1920s to the early 1950s.
The selection is based on the rich press photography archive in the collection of the Istanbul Research Institute.
Extensive Photography Archive
Thousands of works are featured in the project, whose primary source is the Press Photography Archive consisting of 90,052 negatives.
In the exhibition, 20,683 glass and acetate negatives selected from this comprehensive archive are presented for art enthusiasts to appreciate.
Works by Various Photojournalists
It is emphasized that the collection, long known as the Selahattin Giz Archive, does not consist solely of the works of a single name.
The selection also includes productions by Namık Görgüç from Cumhuriyet newspaper and other photojournalists of the period.
A Rich Social Landscape
Many different themes, from political developments to urban life, and from poverty to entertainment culture, meet with the audience.
Frames that are generally eliminated in the history of photography or considered unqualified or faulty are also included in the exhibition.
Frank Bowling in Turkey
The museum's other new exhibition brings together the works of Frank Bowling, one of the prominent names of abstract painting, for the first time in Turkey.
Curated by Alistair Hicks, the exhibition showcases the artist's artistic production spanning over 60 years.
International Artists Together
In the exhibition, Bowling's works are examined in conjunction with the pieces of Francis Bacon and Victor Willing.
Four important Francis Bacon works on loan from the Sainsbury Centre collection are also featured in this special selection.