In its 20th anniversary year, the Pera Museum invites visitors into the rich world of its collection exhibitions with three special guided tours organised in partnership with İBB Kültür AŞ. Taking place on 2, 3 and 4 December, the free tours offer a chance to explore a broad cultural spectrum – from Anatolia’s millennia-old history of trade to the innovative masters of Kütahya tile-making, and from Osman Hamdi Bey’s multifaceted legacy in art and museology to Ottoman–European relations.
Presenting art lovers with many new exhibitions and special programmes in its 20th anniversary year, the Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation Pera Museum is organising three special guided exhibition tours in partnership with İBB Kültür AŞ. Taking place on 2, 3 and 4 December, the free tours bring together art lovers who wish to explore the museum’s permanent collections through different themes.
Drawn from the Pera Museum’s extensive collection exhibitions, the three tours offer a rich journey through history, craft and cultural heritage. Participants set out on a multi-layered exploration that ranges from Anatolia’s four-thousand-year history of trade to the innovative masters of Kütahya tile-making, and from Ottoman–European relations to Osman Hamdi Bey’s identity as an artist.
Guided Tour of The Art of Weights and Measures
Devoted to the exhibition Ağırlık ve Ölçü Sanatı (The Art of Weights and Measures), which examines Anatolia’s four-thousand-year social and economic history through the concepts of weight and measure, the Guided Tour of The Art of Weights and Measures will trace the development of measuring systems in the civilisations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Aegean and the Mediterranean through a thematic approach. On the tour, held on Tuesday 2 December at 17:00 and lasting around 45 minutes, participants will discover through the works on display how measurement has taken on meaning throughout history not merely as a mathematical necessity but also as a cultural value and a symbol of justice.
Guided Tour of Sıradışı Minas
Devoted to the exhibition Sıradışı Minas: Kütahya Çini ve Seramiklerinde Esin ve Yeniliğin Hikâyesi (Extraordinary Minas: A Story of Inspiration and Innovation in Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics), which centres on the works of the gifted Kütahya master Minas Avramidis, the Guided Tour of Sıradışı Minas will focus on the transformation that the traditional craft of tile-making underwent in the 19th and early 20th centuries. On the tour, held on Wednesday 3 December at 17:00 and lasting around 30 minutes, the series of plates depicting “The Story of Genevieve” will serve as a lens on the artist’s distinctive approach, which built a bridge between tradition and innovation, and on the fresh perspective he brought to Kütahya tile-making.
A Journey Through the Pera Museum’s Collection Exhibitions
On the special tour titled A Journey Through the Pera Museum’s Collection Exhibitions, which covers four of the museum’s collection exhibitions, visitors will set out with a guide on a journey of discovery through Kesişen Dünyalar: Elçiler ve Ressamlar, Osman Hamdi Bey, Ağırlık ve Ölçü Sanatı and Sıradışı Minas. On the tour, which starts on Thursday 4 December at 17:00 and lasts around an hour and a half, participants will follow the traces of past and present in a narrative that spans Ottoman–European diplomatic relations and the cultural dialogue forged through the universal language of art, masterfully crafted ceramics and scientific measuring instruments, and Osman Hamdi Bey’s multifaceted legacy in art and museology.
The guided tours are free and conducted in Turkish. Places are limited. To join a tour, book by emailing [email protected].
