A 2010 Financial Times article I came across discussing the booming Turkish art scene. The article states that the boom has been helped thanks to the expanding collections of Turkish companies and institutions.
“The international art map of 2010 is about to be redrawn; move over India, Russia and China – this year, the art world is shifting its gaze to Turkey. Sotheby’s is holding its second sale of Turkish contemporary art next month in London and Istanbul has been crowned the 2010 European Capital of Culture, while private Turkish collectors transform the capital with a succession of new foundations and galleries.”
“So what happened? In 2001, the trend for private collectors to open non-profit contemporary art spaces took off with the launch of the Proje4L-Istanbul Contemporary Art Museum, founded by architect Can Elgiz and his wife Sevda, where established Turkish modern artists such as Erol Akyavas and Omer Uluc took their place alongside international big-hitters such as Cindy Sherman and Tracey Emin.” (from the article cited below)
Check out the full article below:
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/5aa7cae6-21ae-11df-acf4-00144feab49a.html#axzz1RUID4ST7
artofthemideastdotcom.wordpress.com 