A visit by TÜROB President Müberra Eresin to the “Memory of the Collective” exhibition

Müberra Eresin, President of the Association of Turkish Hoteliers (TÜROB), visited the “Memory of the Collective” exhibition, which brings together the art collections of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB), at Artİstanbul Feshane. During the visit, President Eresin was accompanied by İBB Head of the Department of Culture, Arts and Social Affairs Volkan Aslan, Tourism Manager Hüseyin Gazi Coşan and Artİstanbul Feshane Director Bahar Çelik Omur. 

“Memory of the Collective,” an exhibition spanning a broad period of time stretching from the Ottoman era to the Republic and to the present day, brings together 627 distinguished works by 187 artists. Portraits and representations of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk also occupy an important place in the exhibition. These works, which document the founder of the Republic through art, are of great value in reflecting the artistic memory of Türkiye’s modernization process. Among the most striking works in the exhibition is the Portrait of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror by Gentile Bellini, one of the leading masters of Renaissance art. Regarded as a symbol of the cultural interaction between East and West, this work is of great importance not only in terms of art history but also in terms of world history. The exhibition also features works that attract the interest of art lovers, including Hoca Ali Rıza’s paintings documenting the everyday life and landscapes of Istanbul, İbrahim Çallı’s works reflecting the transformation of Turkish painting in the Republican period, and Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu’s powerful and original compositions nourished by Anatolian culture.

The “Memory of the Collective” exhibition is an extremely important example in Türkiye of bringing public art collections together with the community. Making Istanbul’s historical, cultural and artistic heritage visible, the exhibition makes a strong contribution to the city’s cultural and artistic life while also supporting Istanbul as a culture destination on an international scale. The exhibition invites art lovers and everyone interested in the city’s memory to discover Istanbul’s shared memory through art.

The “Memory of the Collective” exhibition, held at Artİstanbul Feshane, can be visited free of charge until 13 December 2026.