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To view the chronology text, click here. 

 
The Sakıp Sabancı Museum continues its series of monographic exhibitions, delving into the lives and works of significant Turkish artists. A Forgotten Woman of the Republic: The Many Ways of Melek Celâl, spotlights a pioneering female artist of the late Ottoman Empire and early Turkish Republic. Sponsored by Sabancı Holding and with contributions from Gilan, this compelling exhibition is on view at the SSM from 26 December 2023 to 23 June 2024. 

 

Centred around the life and art of Melek Celâl, the exhibition highlights her groundbreaking achievements. Notably, she became the first female artist to show nude works at the Galatasaray Exhibition in 1924, and later, in 1935, the first woman to open a solo exhibition. Featuring a diverse array of the artist's paintings and sketches; as well as patterns inspired by Anatolian motifs; articles on urban planning, calligraphy, and Turkish embroideries, the exhibition also includes a rich archive, comprising photographs, postcards, memoirs, and letters that provide a comprehensive view of Melek’s life. 

 

Offering a thorough exploration of the historical context, life, and works of Melek Celâl, a trailblazing female representative of the first generation of modern artists, born in the late nineteenth century in the Ottoman Empire and continuing their lives in the newly established Republic of Turkey, the exhibition sheds light on the nation’s experience of modernisation during a time of radical change. Melek Celâl’s upbringing in Istanbul, surrounded by the cultural heritage of a prosperous Ottoman family, unfolds against the backdrop of the city's dizzying urban metamorphosis and the broader cultural evolution of Turkey. 

 

The exhibition also includes the scientific analysis titled Melek Celâl: Beyond Vision, offering insight into her artistic technique, the restoration processes undergone by her works, and the structure and texture of the materials she used. 

 

A Forgotten Woman of the Republic: The Many Ways of Melek Celâl is on view in Gallery 2 at the SSM every day except Mondays, from 10:00 to 18:00, until Sunday, 23 June 2024.