Contemporary Art Collecting in Turkey

In Turkey, collecting, which showed a parallel development with the liberal economy especially after the 1980s, started to become visible through publications and exhibitions in the 1990s. Some of the collections focusing on modern and contemporary art have continued to enrich themselves while contributing to the cultural development of society by transforming into private museums in the 2000s.

Contemporary Art Collecting in Turkey describes the subject with its historical and economic background from the Ottoman Empire to the present day. The book, which examines the effects of fairs, exhibitions, competitions, and auctions, which have an important place in the development of the art market, on collecting, also includes discussions on museology and private museology, which have been on the agenda for a long time. The book also mentions private collections that had to be sold and dispersed at auctions due to the economic crisis in the 1990s, and explains the place of the collective sale of these collections in the development of collecting.

The book, which discusses the effects of the Elgiz, Sabancı, Eczacıbaşı, and Kıraç collections' inception, development, and museumification processes on the Turkish art market, is the first of its kind and offers satisfying content for those seeking a resource on the development of art collecting and the establishment of private museums in Turkey.