Art Market Monitor

Global Coverage ~ Unique Analysis

  • Contact Us
  • Podcast
  • Newsletter
  • AMMpro

Nobody's Business but the Turks

February 21, 2009 by Marion Maneker

A closer look at Sotheby’s Turkish Contemporary sale comes with a film at Sotheby’s site and Georgina Adam’s reporting. Like Arab and Iranian art, which burst on the scene rather quickly, Turkish art is making a bid for the spotlight.

Turkish Sale

Georgina Adam adds a little more detail:

The country has an impressive number of billionaires – 35, according to Forbes last year. Now Sotheby’s is opening an office in Istanbul and launching its first sale of Turkish contemporary art, which is to be held in London on March 4. Going under the hammer will be 73 works.

“We have a good client base of Turkish collectors who show an interest in their own culture, but there are also a lot of international collectors who want to discover art from different cultures, so that’s why the sale is in London,” says Sotheby’s Dalya Islam. And independent art consultant Orhan Taner explains why he thinks it deserves to be better known: “Turkish contemporary art was handicapped by being a closed market, with only a small diaspora to kick-start interest outside the country, unlike with Chinese or Indian art,” he says, “but there are very talented artists in Turkey, and the art they are making is culturally accessible to western tastes.

Young Turks and Old Rivalries (Financial Times)

More from Art Market Monitor

  • Turk MathTurk Math
  • Sotheby’s Contemporary Turkish = £1.5m
  • Antik AS Owns the Turkish MarketAntik AS Owns the Turkish Market
  • Turkey in Cont Art Sales Top 10Turkey in Cont Art Sales Top 10
  • Sotheby's Explores Contemporary Turkish ArtSotheby's Explores Contemporary Turkish Art
  • Florida Woman's Turkish DelightFlorida Woman's Turkish Delight
  • Print
  • Tweet

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Contemporary, Turkish

Advertise on Art Market Monitor with Nectar Ads

Top Posts

  • Sotheby's Celebrates Bauhaus's Centenary with 25 Works in Imp-Mod Sales
  • Frieze LA Sales Report
  • Sotheby's to Sell SFMoMA's $35m Rothko for Acquisitions Firepower
  • Early Gauguin Work Emerges at Sotheby's Paris After a Century in Same Family
  • Four of Picasso's Women Valued at $28m Come to Christie's from Rose-Walters Collection
  • Christie's Announces $70m Picasso Self Portrait
  • About Us/ Contact
  • Podcast
  • David Hockney's $20m Pacific Coast Highway & Santa Monica
  • Sotheby's Brings $30m Pollock to New York


  • About Us/ Contact
  • Podcast
  • AMMpro
  • Newsletter
  • Art Loans
  • FAQ

twitterfacebooksoundcloud
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Advertise on Art Market Monitor