2012 marks the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first Dutch ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, and of the beginning of diplomatic and commercial ties between these two world powers. To commemorate this anniversary, there will be a number of important exhibitions at Istanbul galleries and museums over the next few months, which will afford Istanbulites an opportunity to view priceless artworks from collections in the Netherlands, by artists living today as well as by Old Masters like Rembrandt and Vermeer.    

Sultans, Merchants, Painters: An Overview of Ottoman-Dutch Relations in its 400th Year

Sultans, Merchants, Painters: An Overview of Ottoman-Dutch Relations in its 400th Year, organized in collaboration with the Amsterdam Museum, will examine the political, social, and cultural ties between Turkey and the Netherlands, with paintings and other artworks depicting both Istanbul and Amsterdam at many stages of their respective histories, as well as important historical figures from both places. The exhibition will include a reconstruction of the Levandse Handel (Levant Trade) chamber in Amsterdam – once the focal point of much of the Netherlands’ trade with the Ottoman Empire – with many of the paintings and charts (on loan from the Rijksmuseum) that were displayed there. After running at the Pera Museum, Sultans, Merchants, Painters will travel to the Amsterdam Museum later in the year.

When: January 21 – April 1

Where: Pera Müzesi (Pera Museum)

How much: From the venue:  10 TL; 5 TL (students).

Willem Harbers: Labogrigneur and Satellite Works

The exhibit entitled Labogrigneur ve Uydu İşleri, by Dutch artist Willem Harbers, is currently running at Galeri Zilberman with the support of the Embassy of the Netherlands. The miniature sculptures in the exhibit, made out of various materials like steel, plastic, and marble, all vaguely resemble scientific instruments or apparatuses of some kind, yet are just on this side of abstraction and non-functionality, underscoring the fact that they have been made for observation rather than actual use. Of these ponderous, somewhat clumsy-looking, yet elegant works, Harbers has stated: “A sculptor is by definition slow, the material with which they work is slow, and the beholder can only enjoy the work if he or she takes their time, stays with the sculpture, walks around it, slows their step, views the the work from all angles, or otherwise: becomes slow themselves.”

When: January 6 - 28

Where: Galeri Zilberman

How much: Free

La La La Human Steps: A Selection from the Boijmans Van Beuningen Collection

Istanbul Modern will be hosting a selection of artworks from the Rotterdam’s Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum, renowned for its extensive collection of art ranging from the 16th century to the present day. The exhibition, curated by Sjarel Ex (the director of the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum), will be in three parts. “Encounters in History” is comprised of artworks depicting commercial, diplomatic, and military encounters between the West and the Ottoman Empire, in addition to works like 16th century painter Joachim Patinir’s stunning Bosch-like canvas “The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.” “Personal Encounters” contains works, chiefly in the medium of film, dealing with comic as well as serious aspects of contemporary life as experienced by individuals, with contributions by Finland’s Salla Tykka, South Africa’s Zwelethu Mthethwa, Bruce Nauman and Vito Acconci from the USA, and others. Finally, “Public Encounters” deals with political and other conflicts in today’s world, such as the recent war in the former Yugoslavia (by Albanian Anri Sala and Bosnian-Herzegovinian Šejla Kamerić); the situation of intellectuals in China (by Yang Fudong); gang violence (by Frenchman Cyprien Gaillard), and more. There will also be a video of a performance by the Canadian dance company La La La Human Steps, from which the exhibition takes its name.

When: February 17 – May 5

Where: İstanbul Modern Sanat Müzesi (Istanbul Museum of Modern Art)

How much: From the venue: 14 TL; 7 TL (concession).

İstanbul Eindhoven – SALTVanabbe: Post ‘89

The exhibition İstanbul Eindhoven – SALTVanabbe is a joint venture between SALT and the Van Abbemuseum in the Netherlands. The first part of the exhibition will focus on artwork produced in the post-Cold War years following 1989; it will be followed later this year by a second installment focusing on art in the period from 1968 to 1989, and then a third dealing with pre-1968 art. All artworks in İstanbul Eindhoven – SALTVanabbe: Post ’89, with the exception of those by local Turkish artists İnci Eviner, Leyla Gediz, Özlem Günyol & Mustafa Kunt, and Cevdet Erek, are on loan from the Van Abbemuseum collection. Highlights of this exhibition, comprising works in a wide range of different media and techniques, include the photographic portraits by Rineke Dijkstra and portraits in painting by Leyla Gediz; Allen Ruppersberg’s fluorescent Singing Posters (as well as his textual art project concerning Allen Ginsberg’s Howl); the eery multiple-exposure images of Douglas Gordon; and much more.

When: January 27 – April 6

Where: SALT Beyoğlu, SALT Galata

How much: Free

Rembrandt and the Golden Age of Dutch Painting

2012 is also the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Sakıp Sabancı Museum to the public. To mark this double anniversary, the museum will be hosting a major art exhibition entitled Rembrandt ve Hollanda Resminin Altın Çağı (Rembrandt and the Golden Age of Dutch Painting). Focusing on the works of 17th century masters like Rembrandt, Vermeer, Frans Hals and Jan Steen, the exhibition will contain paintings as well as sculptures; the majority of the pieces in the exhibition will be on loan from Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, but there will also be works from other museums and private collections in the Netherlands and the United States. In the words of Dr. Nazan Ölçer, the director of the Sabancı Museum, “Holland is a nation which made its first trial of democracy and a republican system of government in the 17th century. During this period Holland became extremely wealthy through trade, and the reforms brought about by that trade benefited artists. Incredible family and group portraits, nature paintings, and landscape paintings were created. Most of these were hidden away in homes, or adorned the walls of city councils. Today, these are the chief resource of Holland’s major museums.”  

When: February 22 – June 10

Where: Sakıp Sabancı Müzesi

How much: From the venue:  10 TL; 7 TL (groups of 10 or more); 3 TL (students and teachers); free (children 14 and under, senior citizens, etc.)