Ankara Painting and Sculpture Museum

Ankara Painting and Sculpture Museum, known in Turkish as the Resim ve Heykel Müzesi, is a state fine arts museum in Ankara, Turkey. Founded in 1930 on the directive of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first president of the Turkish Republic, the institution occupies a pivotal position in the development of modern Turkish visual culture. Located in the Ulus district near the Ethnography Museum of Ankara, it houses a comprehensive collection of Turkish art spanning from the late nineteenth century to the present day, while also maintaining galleries for temporary exhibitions and international cultural exchanges.

The museum's building was originally constructed between 1927 and 1930 to serve the Turkish Hearths (Türk Ocakları), an organization devoted to Turkish culture, education, and social advancement. Architect Arif Hikmet Koyunoğlu designed the structure in 1927. Following the closure of the Turkish Hearths, Atatürk directed that the building be converted into a museum dedicated to Turkish painting and sculpture, reflecting his broader reform agenda to foster a new national identity through the arts. In the early republic, fine arts had been limited by Islamic traditions against figural representation; Atatürk explicitly sought to reverse this and establish culture as a foundation of the republic. The building functioned as a Halkevi (People's House) until 1950, and was formally converted into a museum in 1980. A major restoration took place that year, during which workshops for painting, sculpture, and ceramics were established to serve both amateur and professional artists. The museum was restored again in 2011 to expand exhibition space, repair the roof, and upgrade security systems. During these restorations, the historical hall was returned to its original design and repurposed for concerts, theatrical performances, and film screenings. The institution has also faced serious challenges: in 2010, thieves replaced thirteen charcoal drawings with photocopies, and five unattributed panels were discovered missing. In 2014, the Frankfurter Allgemeine reported that museum staff had replaced 302 works with forgeries between 2005 and 2009, selling the originals in a fraud valued at approximately 250 million USD.

The museum's collection traces the formation and development of Turkish plastic arts from the pre-republican era through the present. It is organized to reflect distinct historical phases of Turkish art, with particular emphasis on painters and sculptors who shaped national artistic discourse. The holdings encompass painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, and Turkish decorative arts. Beyond its permanent collection, the museum maintains a Library of Plastic Arts, expanded annually through donations and acquisitions, and archives of Turkish artists that support scholarly research. The institution also operates educational workshops in painting, traditional printing, Turkish ornamental arts, ceramics, and sculpture. Three dedicated galleries host periodical exhibitions, including works from foreign countries presented under international cultural agreements, as well as retrospective exhibitions, individual shows, and competitive exhibitions organized by the General Directorate of Fine Arts.

The collection is divided into two principal sections. The first department presents works by painters and draftsmen from the late Ottoman and early republican periods, including Şeker Ahmet Paşa, Zekai Paşa, Halil Şerif Paşa, and Hoca Ali Paşa. The second department features artists of the republican era who were instrumental in developing modern Turkish painting, notably İbrahim Çallı, Hikmet Onat, and Namık İsmail. These artists represent the transition from academic Ottoman traditions toward European-influenced modernism and the emergence of distinctively Turkish approaches to painting and sculpture.

The museum building stands in Ankara's Ulus district, adjacent to the Ethnography Museum. Designed by Arif Hikmet Koyunoğlu and completed in 1930, the structure exemplifies early republican institutional architecture. Its conversion from a cultural center to a museum involved significant adaptation, including the creation of specialized workshops and exhibition spaces. The 2011 restoration restored the historical hall to its original design, enabling its use for performances and screenings alongside traditional museum functions. The building is equipped with modern conservation infrastructure, including climate control systems to manage temperature and humidity, a dedicated restoration unit staffed by specialists, and comprehensive security systems comprising closed-circuit television, ultrasonic sensors, and fire alarms.

The State Art and Sculpture Museum is located in central Ankara, Turkey, near the Ethnography Museum in the Ulus quarter. It operates as a public institution under state ownership, with its official website at https://arhm.ktb.gov.tr/. The museum serves as an active cultural center rather than a passive repository, offering visitors a modern cafeteria, sales outlet, and audio guide system. Its programming extends beyond permanent collection display to include temporary exhibitions, educational workshops, concerts, theatrical performances, and film screenings. The institution also facilitates international exchange by sending selections from its permanent collection abroad and hosting foreign exhibitions under bilateral cultural agreements. A virtual tour and extensive photographic documentation of the museum's interior and exterior are available online.