The Iş Bank Museum of Painting and Sculpture is bringing together nearly 200 works from the Türkiye Iş Bank and Arkas collections in the “Generation of 1914: Painters We Know,” an exhibition examining a pivotal period in Turkish painting.
The exhibition focuses on artists who received their initial training in Istanbul before being sent to Paris to study. They returned to Türkiye following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, giving rise to the name by which the generation is known.
Featuring works by Ibrahim Çallı, Feyhaman Duran, Namık Ismail, Sami Yetik, Ali Sami Boyar, Hüseyin Avni Lifij, Mehmed Ruhi Arel, Nazmi Ziya Güran and Hikmet Onat, the exhibition also includes pieces by their teachers, contemporaries and later generations they influenced. Together, the works offer a broad perspective on the generation’s impact on Turkish painting.
Art as collective memory
Speaking at the opening, Suat Sözen, deputy general manager of Iş Bank, said the 1914 Generation represented not merely a change in artistic style but a fundamental shift in artistic thinking.
After developing their skills at the Sanayi-i Nefise School in Istanbul and refining their approaches in Parisian studios, the painters returned home and brought a fresh perspective to Turkish art, he said.
“They moved beyond academic conventions and pursued the open air, the changing light of the Bosporus, nature and humanity,” Sözen said. “Every color they transferred to the canvas with their brushstrokes was, in fact, an aesthetic harbinger of the modern Türkiye to come. Through their works, this generation transformed art into a collective memory and laid the foundations of Republican-era painting.”
Sözen said presenting the country's valuable artistic heritage through such a rich selection was particularly significant. He also praised the Arkas Group's commitment to preserving, sustaining and sharing cultural heritage, describing it as evidence of the progress made in private collecting and museum development in Türkiye.
He added that the depth and scope of the exhibition would not have been possible without Lucien Arkas' passion for art and forward-looking vision.
Iş Bank, Arkas join forces
Lucien Arkas, chairman of the board of Arkas Holding, said collaborating with Türkiye Iş Bank in the arts was a privilege.
“Strength comes from working together. When two institutions that value each other collaborate, they achieve excellent results,” Arkas said. “I hope this partnership we have established with Iş Bank in the arts will serve as an example to everyone. I want institutions to combine their strengths and help people develop a love of art.”
Painters across generations
The exhibition begins with works by the teachers of the 1914 Generation, followed by pieces by the generation's leading artists, organized by subject. It also features works by painters active during the same period and by students trained by the generation.
Highlights include Fernand Cormon's “The Wait,” Ibrahim Çallı's “Woman Smelling a Rose,” Feyhaman Duran's “The Girl in the Blue Shalwar” and Namık İsmail's “Harvest.” Hikmet Onat's “Landscape-Ortaköy,” the first work acquired for the Işbank Painting Collection, is also on display.
The selection further includes Nazmi Ziya's depictions of nature, Avni Lifij's enigmatic compositions, works by Ali Sami Boyar and scenes of everyday life in Türkiye by Sami Yetik and Ruhi Arel.
Organized by Iş Sanat in collaboration with Arkas Sanat, the exhibition runs through July 12, 2027, on the second and third floors of the Türkiye Iş Bank Museum of Painting and Sculpture in Istanbul's Beyoğlu district.
The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from noon to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.