Maybe you didn’t notice the other art fair taking place last weekend. It was in Istanbul and had some contemporary art as well. The Hurriyet Daily News gives some details:

The pre-exhibition of the Contemporary Istanbul modern art fair at the city’s Lütfi Kırdar Exhibition Center has never been this crowded. I think the raising of awareness about modern art in Turkey has played a role in this. But renowned painter Burhan Doğançay’s piece the “Blue Symphony,” sold for a record price of 2.2 million Turkish Liras recently, also has had a share in creating such a crowd.

More than 300 artists represented by 73 galleries have joined the 4th Contemporary Istanbul event, which ends Sunday. Last year, the number of participating artists was 238. The total value of the artworks exhibited here amounts to $19 million and Contemporary Istanbul CEO Ali Güreli expects sales of around $10 million at the fair. Investments in art and the increasing number of art collectors despite the crisis are extremely hopeful developments for Turkey.

Another local source, Today’s Zaman, gives attendance figures. Click through to read about the interesting participation from Germany and the Ukraine:

The number of visitors increases from year to year, and more than 50,000 people are believed to have attended Contemporary İstanbul 2009 — or CI’09, as its organizers refer it — during the three-day exhibition. Alone, this made it quite an event, but still more important: CI’09 took place on the eve of 2010, expected to become a very special year for İstanbul since it was chosen a European Capital of Culture. As such, the fair has further contributed to İstanbul’s development as a prominent center of world culture and a dynamic partner in shaping global trends of art.

Contemporary Istanbul Art Fair (Hurriyet Daily News)
Contemporary art makes four-day İstanbul appearance (Today’s Zaman)