The pioneering role of women in the development of art gallery management in Turkey

Historical examples featured in Esra Yıldız's book "Deli Kadınlar: Kadın Sanatçılara Feminist Bir Bakış" (Crazy Women: A Feminist Perspective on Female Artists) revealed the pioneering role assumed by women in the development of art gallery management in Turkey. In the process that began with the Maya Art Gallery founded by Adalet Cimcoz in 1950, many female entrepreneurs brought to life the spaces that form the foundation of the Turkish art scene.

While works of art find buyers at auctions and enter collections, women made up a significant portion of the names that formed this environment during the early periods when the art market was not yet developed. Historical examples discussed in Esra Yıldız's work brought to light pioneering female entrepreneurial efforts in this field. At the center of this story is the Maya Art Gallery, founded by Adalet Cimcoz in 1950.

In the late 1930s and the 1940s, when private art galleries were limited, independent spaces where artists could exhibit their works were restricted. The Maya Art Gallery, opened by Adalet Cimcoz in 1950, operated as an alternative cultural center by opening its doors to young and innovative artists between 1950 and 1955. Alongside painting and sculpture, the gallery brought works from different disciplines such as photography and ceramics together with art enthusiasts.

Cimcoz’s initiative transformed into a meeting point bringing together literature and visual arts with the support of intellectuals such as Orhan Veli, Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, and Sabahattin Eyüboğlu. The gallery also increased the visibility of female artists by featuring works by figures like Eren Eyüboğlu, Füreya Koral, and Aliye Berger. Following the Maya Art Gallery, initiatives such as the Melda Kaptana Gallery in 1971, the Maçka Art Gallery by Rabia Çapa and Varlık Sadıkoğlu in 1976, the Mine Art Gallery, and Galeri BM sustained this historical continuity.