Istanbul Painting and Sculpture Museum

The Istanbul Painting and Sculpture Museum (Turkish: İstanbul Resim ve Heykel Müzesi) is an art museum in the Tophane area of European Istanbul, Turkey. It is part of the large Galataport complex and holds the most important collection of modern Turkish painting in the country. The museum traces its origins to a 1937 initiative by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Turkish Republic, and remained Turkey's sole art museum until the 1970s. Its relocation to a purpose-built gallery at Galataport in 2021-2022, adjacent to Istanbul Modern, has transformed the district into a significant artistic hub for the city.

The museum was originally housed in the crown prince's mansion attached to Dolmabahçe Palace in the Beşiktaş neighbourhood. The building dated to 1856. On 20 September 1937, Atatürk proposed converting it into a museum following the exile of the imperial family with the establishment of the Turkish Republic. For decades it remained the only art museum in Turkey and served as the origin for state art museums and galleries in numerous other Turkish cities. The collection, which had been housed in the Dolmabahçe building, was moved to a new gallery at Galataport. The museum began a partial opening in December 2021 and fully opened in September 2022.

The museum exhibits Turkish painting and sculpture from the late Ottoman period through modern times. The collection comprises 10,140 paintings, 651 sculptures, 10 icons, 107 ceramics, and 79 calligraphic works. It also includes works by Western artists from the 18th and 19th centuries as well as contemporary figures such as Derain, Matisse, Picasso, and Utrillo. Nearly the entire collection belongs to members of the Academy of Fine Arts and Fine Arts (now Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University). Thematic galleries include: a dedicated space for Osman Hamdi Bey, founder of Istanbul's first art school; modern calligraphy alongside Turkish abstract art from the 1940s onward by artists such as Şemsettin Arel and Abidin Elderoğlu; paintings from early Republican 'Homeland Journeys' (Yurt Gezileri) into Anatolia; and copies of overseas masterworks made by Turkish artists to help develop a national figurative tradition.

The museum's holdings include significant individual works. The French Wikipedia source lists notable paintings including 'Autoportrait à la pipe,' 'Sur le chemin de la révolution' ('On the Path to Revolution'), and 'Vieil homme devant des tombeaux d'enfants.' The English source specifically notes 'On the Path to Revolution' as a notable painting in the collection.

The new museum building, Antrepo No 5, was originally designed to serve the old port at Karaköy by Turkish architect Sedad Hakkı Eldem. The structure was demolished and rebuilt with Eldem's original design in mind to serve as an art gallery by the Emre Arolat architectural firm. The building sits on the edge of the Galataport complex, immediately adjacent to Istanbul Modern, creating a concentrated artistic district in the Tophane area.

The museum is located in the Tophane area of European Istanbul, within the Galataport complex at Vişnezade. Its proximity to Istanbul Modern has established the surrounding area as an artistic hub for the city. The museum began partial operations in December 2021 and fully opened in September 2022.