Centred around the life and art of Melek Celâl, the exhibition highlights her groundbreaking achievements. Notably, she became the first female artist to show nude works at the Galatasaray Exhibition in 1924, and later, in 1935, the first woman to open a solo exhibition. Featuring a diverse array of the artist's paintings and sketches; as well as patterns inspired by Anatolian motifs; articles on urban planning, calligraphy, and Turkish embroideries, the exhibition also includes a rich archive, comprising photographs, postcards, memoirs, and letters that provide a comprehensive view of Melek’s life. 

 Offering a thorough exploration of the historical context, life, and works of Melek Celâl, a trailblazing female representative of the first generation of modern artists, born in the late nineteenth century in the Ottoman Empire and continuing their lives in the newly established Republic of Turkey, the exhibition sheds light on the nation’s experience of modernisation during a time of radical change. Melek Celâl’s upbringing in Istanbul, surrounded by the cultural heritage of a prosperous Ottoman family, unfolds against the backdrop of the city's dizzying urban metamorphosis and the broader cultural evolution of Turkey. 

More information can be found here.