After the founding of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, an artistic evolution took place in that country, with artists embracing an array of twentieth century styles and combining traditional Turkish cultural values with Western aesthetics. But the roots of contemporary Turkish painting extend back before the founding of the Republic. In the last days of the Ottoman Empire, the art scene in France influenced Turkish painters. However, respect for Islam's tenets and cultural traditions restrained Turkish artists from adopting all aspects of French art. Because these artists avoided depicting human forms, they retained traditional morality and created an art unique to Turkey. After the founding of the Republic, many of these artists used the impressionist brush stroke to depict the landscape, often including the suggestion of the human figure.

By the 1950s, Turkey had responded to the West economically, politically, culturally, and artistically. Although styles of Turkish art did not develop simultaneously with those in the West, abstract tendencies were appearing in Turkish paintings in the late 1940s. Between 1960 and 1980, Turkish art developed simultaneously with the larger art world, embracing such movements as Pop Art, Photorealism, Minimalism, and Conceptual Art. By the end of the twentieth century, Turkish artists were more active than ever, exploring new visual paths in art.

The Fine Arts Program of the Federal Reserve Board is pleased to present this exhibition of thirty-five works from the collection of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey. Taken together, these paintings provide a fascinating and informative introduction to the modern and contemporary art created in Turkey over the twentieth century.