Ertugrul Ozkok:What does Picasso-Istanbul mean for Turkey?
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Kasım 30, 2005 11:02
A while back, the Prime Minister said "I'm marketing Turkey." Yesterday morning, my wife and I, along with Hurriyet columnist Dogan Hizlan, went to see the Picasso exhibit at the Sabanci Museum.
Taking my first steps into the museum, I thought to myself "Someone should recall the Prime Minister's words and take some action according to them." I will explain what I mean by this in a little while.
But first I want to pass on some very hopeful observations about our country to you.
*****
My excitement began on Sunday morning, when I read in the newspapers about the lines forming outside the Sabanci Museum to see the exhibit. For a moment, the feeling you get outside the Musee d'Orsay or the Louvre in Paris flooded over me. Though I did wonder at the time whether it wasn't the fact that it was a weekend day that the crowds were like this.
Well, I got the answer to this question yesterday at the entrance to the museum from the Bosphorus road boulevard. There was a very long line at the gates. There was also a very long line from the entrance of the museum. Most of the people in the museum gallery looked to be middle school students. They were divided into groups. At the head of every group was a guide, touring them through the exhibit. The guides were wonderful, giving the students tasks like finding details in certain of Picasso's works.
*****
Requests have come in from schools all over Turkey to come to this exhibit. A school in Urfa (Turkey's Southeast) requested to be able to come, but the road money was too much for them, and they also requested help on this front. I wonder whether some large businesses could sponsor schools to help them come and see Picasso's works. As it is, the Sabanci Group has set up two buses going to poor districts in Istanbul to bring people to the exhibit.
Which brings me back to my first thought. For example, boulevards in Athens could carry billboards advertizing "Picasso in Istanbul." Same thing for New York, Paris, and London. The director of the Sabanci Museum, Nazan Olcer, says that there have been requests for tickets from some US citizens for around New Year's. Yes, the marketing for a big project like this should be big.
*****
But there is still time. The exhibit will be up until March.
I congratulate the Sabanci family. They have done a tremendous thing for Turkey. They thought big, and they got great results. There is a trend towards supporting the arts among the well-established families in Turkey. The Koc family has a variety of museums now. There are important exhibits opening there too. These are all things that raise the general standard of life in Turkey, as well as raise the image of Turkey in the eyes of the international public.
In addition, there are also important developments these days in book publishing in Turkey. The variety and quality of local and foreign books available is increasing.
*****
In short, Turkey appears to be experiencing a cultural rennaissance. Yes, alongside all of the things which appear to us to not be going well, there is a second Turkey silently being born right now. This is the Turkey of hope. And we can all be sure that these great efforts of ours will reap results in the end.
But first I want to pass on some very hopeful observations about our country to you.
*****
My excitement began on Sunday morning, when I read in the newspapers about the lines forming outside the Sabanci Museum to see the exhibit. For a moment, the feeling you get outside the Musee d'Orsay or the Louvre in Paris flooded over me. Though I did wonder at the time whether it wasn't the fact that it was a weekend day that the crowds were like this.
Well, I got the answer to this question yesterday at the entrance to the museum from the Bosphorus road boulevard. There was a very long line at the gates. There was also a very long line from the entrance of the museum. Most of the people in the museum gallery looked to be middle school students. They were divided into groups. At the head of every group was a guide, touring them through the exhibit. The guides were wonderful, giving the students tasks like finding details in certain of Picasso's works.
*****
Requests have come in from schools all over Turkey to come to this exhibit. A school in Urfa (Turkey's Southeast) requested to be able to come, but the road money was too much for them, and they also requested help on this front. I wonder whether some large businesses could sponsor schools to help them come and see Picasso's works. As it is, the Sabanci Group has set up two buses going to poor districts in Istanbul to bring people to the exhibit.
Which brings me back to my first thought. For example, boulevards in Athens could carry billboards advertizing "Picasso in Istanbul." Same thing for New York, Paris, and London. The director of the Sabanci Museum, Nazan Olcer, says that there have been requests for tickets from some US citizens for around New Year's. Yes, the marketing for a big project like this should be big.
*****
But there is still time. The exhibit will be up until March.
I congratulate the Sabanci family. They have done a tremendous thing for Turkey. They thought big, and they got great results. There is a trend towards supporting the arts among the well-established families in Turkey. The Koc family has a variety of museums now. There are important exhibits opening there too. These are all things that raise the general standard of life in Turkey, as well as raise the image of Turkey in the eyes of the international public.
In addition, there are also important developments these days in book publishing in Turkey. The variety and quality of local and foreign books available is increasing.
*****
In short, Turkey appears to be experiencing a cultural rennaissance. Yes, alongside all of the things which appear to us to not be going well, there is a second Turkey silently being born right now. This is the Turkey of hope. And we can all be sure that these great efforts of ours will reap results in the end.