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| Source: Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia website. Erol Akyavaş, Locus of Extremity, 1982. |
The exhibition showcases 26 artworks from 17 artists from the collection of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey. Curated by Professor Mümtaz Sağlam, an academician and art critic from Turkey, this exhibition highlights the concepts that assumed increasing importance during the process of westernisation.
The Turkish painting movement began in the 1800s with Osman Hamdi Bey of the
Academy of Fine Arts, with the sultans sending artists to Europe to learn, and inviting European artists to Turkey to teach. Towards the end of the Ottoman Empire (1299 to 1923), Turkish
painters were influenced by French Impressionism but avoided reproducing the human form in alignment with the teachings of Islam, though some began hinting at it after the Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923. By the 1980s the Turkish art scene had embraced various modern art movements.
Erol Akyavaş (1932-1999) was the first Turkish artist to have his work included in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in 1961, when he was 29 years old. His style evolved greatly during in his 50-year career. Always combining east with west, he has included abstracts of calligraphy in his early work and is known for geometric representations of architecture and labyrinths as motifs.
Erol Akyavaş (1932-1999) was the first Turkish artist to have his work included in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in 1961, when he was 29 years old. His style evolved greatly during in his 50-year career. Always combining east with west, he has included abstracts of calligraphy in his early work and is known for geometric representations of architecture and labyrinths as motifs.