This year being the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first Dutch ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, there are a number of art shows in Istanbul focusing on works by Dutch artists and/or from Dutch collections. In fact, 2012 is also the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Sakıp Sabancı Museum to the public. To mark this double anniversary, the museum is hosting a major art exhibition entitled Rembrandt ve Hollanda Sanatının Altın Çağı (Rembrandt and the Golden Age of Dutch Art). Focusing on the works of 17th century masters like Rembrandt, Vermeer, Frans Hals and Jan Steen, the exhibition contains 74 different paintings by 59 different artists, in addition to a number of drawings and sculptures; the majority of the pieces in the exhibition are on loan from Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, but there are also works from other museums and private collections in the Netherlands and the United States. Highlights from the show include Vermeer’s “The Love Letter,” as well as Rembrandt’s portrait of physician Ephraim Bueno.

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

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.)