Art Museums to Visit in Beyoğlu
Table Of Contents
''If the world were bright, there would be no art.'' said Albert Camus. Humanity has made the world full of evil livable with art. For this very reason, today we will talk about 5 Beyoğlu museums where you will get enough of art.
1. Istanbul Modern Art Museum
Turkey's first modern art museum was brought to society with its opening in 2004. With its exhibitions, educational programs created for adults and children, cinema days, library and store, it allows people to easily access art today. Before the pandemic, guided tours were held for a fee and free of charge. Although most of these activities have been held online since the pandemic, it is possible to benefit from audio tours in the museum. We can see that art lovers are eagerly waiting for us to touch on the fee section. Since the entrance fees to the Istanbul Modern Art Museum change every year, it would be healthier to obtain information from its own website. However, we should state that discounts are provided to students, teachers, retirees and everyone over the age of 65. You can visit between 10:00 and 18:00 on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and 11:00-18:00 on Sundays. Be careful! The museum is closed on Mondays.
2. Doğançay Museum
Doğançay Museum was also opened to visitors in 2004. So what is inside this museum? The works of Burhan Cahit Doğançay, a Turkish painter whose name you may have heard for the first time, and his father Adil Doğançay, one of the people from whom he received his first art education, are exhibited. The museum also organizes award-winning painting competitions for students from time to time. If you want to examine the products, you can take a look at the museum's own store. You can't leave Beyoğlu without visiting a free museum. Yes, you heard right! You don't have to pay an entrance fee. You can visit between 10:00 and 18:00 on Tuesdays and Sundays. It is closed on Mondays.
3. Arter Art Gallery
The art center, which opened to visitors in 2010, includes exhibition areas, performance halls, a library, learning and event areas, a bookstore and a bistro. The collections you will see in Arter exhibitions convey not only the contemporary art approach in Turkey, but also the forms of expression found in different parts of the world. You can visit between Tuesdays and Sundays between 11:00-18:00. Since it is a pandemic, you need to show your vaccination card at the entrance. If you do not have a vaccination card, showing the PCR test result will be sufficient. You can join guided tours between 13:00-15:00 on the days the gallery is open. These tours are subject to a fee. Entrance to the exhibition is free for members, students under the age of 24, disabled visitors and their companions. On Thursdays, you can enter free of charge regardless of which group you are in.
4. SALT Galata
SALT Galata was designed by Alexandre Vallaury, an architect of French origin who lived in Istanbul, in 1892 as the Ottoman Bank. It started to serve as a valuable art center in 2011. It is almost impossible not to be intoxicated by the art world it drags us into from the moment we step inside this building, which is unique in the city with its architectural style. It includes SALT Research, which includes the library, Ottoman Bank Museum digital presentations, exhibition space, auditorium for film screenings, workshops, special event venues, offices and free work areas. HES code or PCR test result must be shown when entering. SALT Galata visiting hours are 11:00-19:00 from Tuesday to Saturday and 11:00-18:00 on Sunday. Anyone interested in research can benefit from the library. If you say, “I can never do without the internet!”, it is useful to mention that free Wi-Fi service is provided. In addition, there is a restaurant and a cafe in the building. This way, you can meet your needs while enjoying art or doing your research.
5. Pera Museum
Our latest destination is a private museum established in 2005 by the Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation to provide cultural and artistic services. Among the works of the Pera Museum are the collections of ‘’Orientalist Painting’’ reflecting the Ottoman world, ‘’Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics’’ and ‘’Anatolian Weights and Measures’’ which include weights and measurement units used from the prehistoric period to the 20th century. Exhibitions are held in the museum at certain periods, education is provided especially for children and young people and carefully selected films from cinema classics are watched. You can visit the Pera Museum, which completes people who feel incomplete with art, on Tuesdays and Saturdays between 10:00-19:00, on Fridays between 10:00-22:00 and on Sundays between 12:00-18:00. You can visit the museum for free on Fridays from 18:00 to 22:00, and if you are a student, you can visit the museum and benefit from the film screenings on Wednesdays without reaching into your pocket.
As we mentioned The fact that the places are not only for adults but also for children shows that the art we have held onto for centuries has undertaken the difficult task of passing it on to future generations. Our duty is to develop our vision and determine our mission in order to be closer to art and to evaluate the opportunities right next to us.
Written by: Berfin Aktaş
