• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Homepage
  • ABOUT Istanbul Clues
  • CONTACT

Istanbul Clues

Istanbul Tour Guide

  • CLUES
  • ACTIVITIES
  • ACCOMMODATION
  • BOSPHORUS
  • FOOD-DRINK
  • HISTORY
  • GETTING AROUND
  • THINGS TO DO
  • OLD CITY
  • PRIVATE TOURS
  • MUSEUMS
  • MOSQUES
  • SHOPPING
  • CAPPADOCIA
  • EPHESUS
  • ABOUT TURKEY

Ara Guler Photography Museum in Istanbul

22 December 2021 by Serhat Engül

Ara Guler was Turkey’s most passionate photographer. Ara Guler discovered the famous ancient city of Aphrodisias during a photography trip. Guler is also the first name that comes to mind when it comes to nostalgic Istanbul photographs. In this article, you can find information about Ara Guler Photography Museum, which was opened a few months before the famous photographer passed away.

Ara Guler Photography Museum is located in Sisli district of Istanbul, famous for its shopping malls, hotels and business centers. There are world-famous chain hotels in Sisli, one of the most central districts of Istanbul.

Ara Guler Museum is located in Sisli’s event center called Bomontiada. Besides the museum, Bomontiada has many famous restaurants and bars. For example, Babylon, one of Istanbul’s most famous bars, is also here. Originally an old brewery, Bomontiada is one of the city’s most successful urban transformation projects.

Before talking about the Ara Guler Museum, we will talk about the life story of the famous photographer. Guler, who is among the members of Magnum Photos, lived in the years when the art of photography was very productive.

Table of Contents

  • Who is Ara Guler?
  • Guler’s Career in Photography
  • Ara Guler Photography Museum
  • Ara Guler Museum Entrance Fee 2022
  • Ara Guler Museum Opening Hours 2022
  • How to Get to The Museum?

Who is Ara Guler?

Ara Guler Photography Museum

Originally named as Aram Guleryan, Ara Guler was born in Beyoglu in 1928. It can be said that his father, Dacat Guler, was the main initiator of his interest in art and photography. After realizing that his son was interested in cinema and photography, Dacat Guler gave him a 35mm cinematograph and a camera as a gift.

During his high school years, Ara Guler attended drama courses of the famous actor Muhsin Ertugrul. He improved himself in the field of photography with the camera his father gave as a gift, and then he started working for a local newspaper called “New Istanbul”.

Although Ara Guler started a department in the field of economics at Istanbul University, he realized that he actually wanted to be a journalist. This choice would change his life and make Guler one of the most important photographers of the 20th century.

Ara Guler described himself as a journalist rather than an art photographer in his whole career. He achieved to frame lots of things about 20th century from old Istanbul streets to portraits of famous people such as Winston Churchill, Maria Callas, John Berger and Pablo Picasso in his career.

Guler’s Career in Photography

Ara Guler Exhibition in Istanbul

Guler’s career dates back to 1953, the year he met with Henri Cartier Bresson. He was accepted to Magnum Photos with Bresson’s support at that year. As one of the most important photography agencies, Magnum Photos was a huge opportunity for Guler and he became internationally famous with the works he produced there.

Ara Guler attracted English Photography Annual Anthology’s attention and he was selected as “One of the world’s top seven photographers” by this important magazine in the field of photography. In 1953, he became the only Turkish member of American Society of Magazine Photographers.

As a productive and hardworking individual, Ara Guler worked as near-east newspaper photographer in Time-Life, Paris-Match, Der Stern and while he was the department chief of photography in “Hayat” magazine.

From 1950’s onward, he held exhibitions in cities such as New York and Paris and his photographs drew heavy attention. He earned the title of “Master of Leica”, a rare title, in Germany in 1962. The same year, “Camera” Magazine, published in Switzerland and regarded as one of the most important publications in the field of photography, dedicated a special issue to him.

Guler’s fame was exceeding Europe in those years. In 1967, Photography of the World, published in Japan, included the collaborative works of Guler and Richard Avedon in its anthology. In 1968, an exhibition called “Ten Masters of Color Photography”, held in New York Modern Art Gallery, included his works. The same year, in Photokina Fair, held in Koln, his works were exhibited. In the early 1970s, he focused on art and art history. In those years, his works were used in Newsweek and Skira Publishing, located in Switzerland.

The photo interview he did with Picasso in 1971 is regarded as one of his most important achievements in his career. He did this interview for the book called “Picasso Metomorphose et Unite”, a dedication by Skira Publishing to Picasso for his 90th birthday. Although Picasso did not enjoy posing for the cameras, he accepted the offer after Ara Guler insisted.

The following year, his works were displayed in his private exhibition, held in Paris National Library. Upon a special invite he went to the US to photograph many famous Americans, and his works were exhibited in many parts of the world under the name of “Creative Americans”. At the same year, he returned to Turkey and shot a documentary called “Kahramanin Sonu” (The End of the Hero) that mentions about dismantling of “Yavuz” battleship.

Ara Guler became an important character in promoting and shaping the perception of Turkey to the world through his works. His photographs were used in Mariana Noris’ book called “Young Turkey” in 1964. His photograph album called “Turkei” was published in Germany in 1970. He photographed the book called Mimar Sinan written by Prof. Abdullah Kuran in 1986 and that book was published as English by “Institute of Turkish Studies” in 1987.

Ara Guler Photography Museum

Ara Guler Museum Bomontiada Sisli

Ara Guler Photography Museum was opened in 2018 on the artist’s 90th birthday. Museum includes great deal of works of Ara Guler and his personal belongings such as his notes, press credentials, collections and books.

It is possible to see the old days of Istanbul in the Ara Guler museum. Approximately 20 million people live in Istanbul, which has rapidly become urbanized in the last 50 years. Ara Guler’s photographs reflect the nostalgic days when Istanbul preserved its neighborhood culture.

Ara Guler Museum Entrance Fee 2022

Ara Guler Museum is a non-profit institution and has no entrance fee. Also, you can enjoy free activities such as film screening, conversations, panel discussions and free places such as archive and research center.

Ara Guler Museum Opening Hours 2022

Ara Guler Museum opening hours are between 10:00 and 18:00. On Sundays, it is open from 12:00 to 18:00. Please also note that the museum is closed on Mondays.

Visiting times of museums in Istanbul may change due to events and renovations. Before going to the museum, I recommend you to visit the official website of the museum and review the latest situation.

How to Get to The Museum?

The museum is located in a culture and art center called Bomontiada in the Sisli district of Istanbul. In order to get to the Ara Guler Photography Museum, you need to walk 15-20 minutes to Bomontiada direction after you get off in Osmanbey Metro Station.

The museum is located very close to Taksim Square, one of the most touristic places in Istanbul. You can reach Sisli in just a few minutes by metro from Taksim Square. On the other hand, those who want to come from Sultanahmet can go to Yenikapi Terminal (next to Aksaray Tram Station) and reach Sisli by M2 metro.

Ara Guler Photography Museum by Serhat Engul

Filed Under: MUSEUMS Tagged With: Museums of Istanbul

blank

About Serhat Engül

Hello explorer of Istanbul! This is Serhat Engul. I am a licensed TOUR GUIDE IN ISTANBUL. I offer PRIVATE HALF DAY TOUR which includes a visit to the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Basilica Cistern and the Spice Bazaar. This is a fantastic option to see some of the ICONIC LANDMARKS in the whole of Istanbul and you’ll receive plenty of background information on each location to enlighten you. You may see the details of this tour on the HOMEPAGE of the blog. I wish you a wonderful trip!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. blankGail P Dubov says

    3 March 2022 at 09:12

    Hi Serhat,
    I was wondering if you can help me. I saw a photo by Ara Guler online and I would love to buy it–or a print of it. I have no idea how to reach the museum or a gallery that represents his work. Can you help?

    Thank you for whatever you can do!
    Gail

    Reply
    • blankSerhat Engül says

      4 March 2022 at 00:57

      Hi Gail, I did a research on the internet today on your request, but I couldn’t find a source that sells Ara Guler’s photos online. I think they sell small framed photos that he had personally signed on this site.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Istanbul Clues on Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Private Guided Tours

blankHello, I'm Serhat Engul. I am a licensed tour guide operating in Istanbul. I do walking tours in Istanbul focusing on Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman history. If you want to join a private guided tour in Istanbul, you can check out my references and tours from ABOUT page. Read More…

Footer

Istanbul Travel Guide

Istanbul Clues travel guide is designed to introduce you to the history, museums, restaurants and culture of istanbul.

Private Tour Guide in Istanbul

Author of this blog, Serhat Engul, is a licensed tour guide based in Istanbul.

Recent

  • STREET FOOD TOUR in Istanbul (Self-Guided) → 2023
  • Things to Do in FENER and BALAT (Istanbul) 2023
  • Rustem Pasha Mosque (Istanbul) Updated 2023
  • Private GUIDED TOURS in Istanbul (Updated → 2023)
  • Istanbul Toy Museum Price & Hours (Updated → 2023)

Powered by Reborn Travel Agency

blank

© All Rights Reserved (2015-2023) - By Serhat Engul