Dogancay Museum

The Doğançay Museum, which opened its doors to visitors in 2004 in a 150-year-old five-story historical building, is Turkey’s first contemporary art museum, exhibiting the works of his father, Adil Doğançay, a famous painter, with a small retrospective of Burhan Doğançay’s works.

Born in Istanbul in 1900, Adil Doğançay was a topography officer as well as a famous painter. He worked on impressionist landscapes, sea paintings and still lifes in his works. Very few of the artist’s works in the museum are dated, and most of those exhibited in the museum were made between 1940 and 1990, the year he passed away. Having traveled all over Anatolia as a topographer gave him the opportunity to spend long hours in nature, and he created most of his works in nature, which he described as “the greatest teacher.”

Adil Doğançay’s son, Burhan Doğançay, received his first artistic training from his father and the famous painter Arif Kaptan. After receiving law and economics education in Paris during his youth, he opened joint exhibitions with his father and participated in various group exhibitions. The painter, who continued to paint regularly during those times, is known for his works reflecting the influence of the city walls that fascinated him. It is possible to see traces of his travels to more than a hundred countries in the paintings, graphics, Aubusson tapestries, sculptures and photographs he made over a period of 40 years. The painter, who mainly works with traditional oil on canvas, uses techniques such as collage and fumage, which he invented.

According to Burhan Doğançay, city walls are a document of the flow of time. He is known for a group of works that mainly derive from his admiration for city walls, in terms of witnessing the traces left by people and the reflection of social, political and economic changes experienced over time on street art. Although it is a recurring theme, the styles in which they are interpreted are very diverse.

With over 150 works currently on display, the museum presents a striking visual survey of the evolution of the Doğançay family’s work, from early figurative works to mural-inspired works. In addition, as a result of the work carried out with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and sponsoring companies, it has been organizing art competitions in schools since 2005 and rewarding the winning students with trips abroad. The museum aims to continue these competitions, which aim to support education through art, in the future.