Istanbul Modern Museum
The Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, Turkey’s first private museum to organize modern and contemporary art exhibitions, was founded in 2004 and occupies an 8,000 square meter site on the shores of the Bosphorus.
Istanbul Modern Museum is the big daddy of a slew of newish, privately funded art galleries in the city. Its stunning location on the shores of the Bosphorus and its extensive collection of Turkish 20th-century art make it well worth a visit. The icing on the cake is provided by a constantly changing and uniformly excellent program of exhibitions by local and international artists in the exhibition galleries on the ground floor. Istanbul Modern embraces a global vision to collect, preserve, exhibit and document works of modern and contemporary art and make them accessible to art lovers.
As part of its commitment to sharing Turkey’s artistic creativity with wide audiences and promoting its cultural identity in the international art world, Istanbul Modern hosts a broad array of interdisciplinary activities.
Apart from permanent and temporary exhibition galleries, a photography gallery, and spaces for educational and social programs, the museum offers a cinema, restaurant, design store and an extensive library.
There’s also a well-stocked gift shop, a cinema that shows art-house films and a stylish cafe-restaurant with superb views of the Bosphorus.
Istanbul Modern is in a prime location and is easy to get to on foot from Taksim Square (if you are prepared for a longer walk). Entry is 15 TL which is very reasonable for the size of the collection.
You could easily spend 3-4 hours here. The restaurant/bar overlooks the Bosphorus (when there is not a cruise ship parked in front of it !) and is a perfect place to grab a quick lunch or snack. Make sure to check out the museum gift shop great gifts not found in the rest of the city.
After visiting the amazing exhibition we sat down for lunch in what must be one of the most beautiful settings for a restaurant- on the waterfront (provided no large passenger liners dock in front of restaurant)- and good quality food. What a way to end our visit to stunning art like this.
Istanbul Modern is the first and only modern art museum in Istanbul. It is a great space with a delicious restaurant and beautiful view of the river.
I didnot expect such a good museum not being so old.. make sure to have 1-2 hours for this beautiful museum..
Istanbul Modern is a must visit place if you are new to town or even if you are just passing by. The collections are impressive and you wouldn't be able to have such a mixture in any other museum in Istanbul.
A very well presented museum with various forms of displays to appreciate. Worth the trip.
I'm not crazy about Modern art but I tried…. There are some nice pieces of art and a view on Sultanahmet. You can find a restaurant inside. but there are better museums than this one in Istanbul….
Really interesting and diverse art pieces from mostly Turkish artists. Many unique mediums such as film, photography, paintings, sculptures, etc. It's not too expensive and you can browse the galleries at your own pace. After you've seen all the major tourist attractions, take some time to walk through this museum, it has a good view of the water too.
You feel that you should not sit moré than 25 mens. They Clean the table And look at you !!!!! The view is good but trendy place brings stupid clients.
The Istanbul Modern has a great location, just off the tramway at Tophane, and right on the waterfront. There is a large collection of mostly Turkish modern art, with paintings, sculptures and film all well represented.
Artists I did not know, impressive list of female artists and very challenging works on subject of women's rights.