Istanbul Contemporary Art Museum

Istanbul represents not only antiquities. One can make sure of that by visiting the magnificent Istanbul Contemporary Art Museum. You will be amazed how good and exciting contemporary Turkish art is.

The appearance of this museum is associated with an interesting story. As we know, Istanbul is a megapolis. But it was not enough for the Turks. They wanted the city to be considered a European megapolis. They decided they need a museum of modern art in Istanbul to keep things as in Europe. No sooner said than done. Moreover, the Turkish painters and sculptors have been known all over the world for a long time, and their works are sold at prestigious auctions.

The place for Istanbul contemporary Art Museum was chosen too unusual. This is... abandoned harbor docks. The place where ships were repaired. Of course, everything is equipped for the museum there now. This was done in 2004, and since then several million people have already visited the museum of Istanbul. This museum, among other things, is a permanent market of Istanbul Biennale - an event that attracts European intellectuals to the city.

Some words about how this museum works. Let’s start from the top - on the second floor there is an exhibition of contemporary (20 century) Turkish art. It’s constant and only replenished, the overall change of exhibits does not happen. The whole first floor is in the power of temporary exhibitions. The exhibitions of artists and sculptors of modern Turkey regularly follow each other.

Riches of the museum are not limited by exhibits. They have: cafes, shops with discs, albums and souvenirs, a movie theater where they show free contemporary Turkish cinema, a library with free internet access. And the view, of course. You can’t do without it in Istanbul. From the Contemporary Art Museum of Istanbul there’s a spectacular view of the Bosporus and Golden Horn, straight through the huge windows...

The museum is open daily except Monday, from 10:00 to 18:00. The entrance fee is 5 lire.