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INTERNATIONAL CONVERSATIONS
WITH COLLECTORS: BILLUR TACIR
Interview: Jan Kage.
Text: Elena Sansigre, Hannah Nehb, Brian Poole
During Gallery Weekend Berlin 2011, me Collectors
Room Berlin, in collaboration with KUNST Magazin,
hosted a conversation with the Turkish collector Ms.
Billur Tacir. In order to better round off the current
Turkish art scene, curator Dr. Gisela Winkelhofer and
Sotheby’s director in Istanbul Ms. Oya Delahaye were
also invited.
Frau Winkelhofer, could you give us an overview of
the Turkish art scene? Does the government support
it? Has Istanbul had, as European Capital of Culture
in 2010, any influence on the local art scene?
Dr. Gisela Winkelhofer: It’s fair to say that the art
scene in Istanbul is growing. However, I am wondering
why I do not see any Turkish artists present at
international exhibitions. Where do they get help
from? Neither the Turkish government nor the city
of Istanbul is doing anything, which is strange in
comparison with other European countries that invest
quite a lot in contemporary art. I believe that there is
a huge potential to develop something very special in
Istanbul. The market is very vibrant, the economy is
now growing in a similar way to the 60s in Germany,
and the art community in Istanbul is also currently
expanding.
In Istanbul, people live between two continents.
Which artists are this city’s collectors interested in?
Oya Delahaye: Buying art started in the 80ies when
Turkey opened its boundaries to the West. Its economy
became more liberal, galleries opened, and independent
Turkish artists living outside of Turkey who were not
the State’s artists started to be exhibited. People were
getting wealthier and travelled more, and they started
buying art, not only as an investment but also as a
way to achieve happiness and satisfaction. As for the
new artists’ profiles, there are more and more artists
coming from the East, and more and more women
artists, which was not the case before. The majority of
Modern Turkish artists belonged to the bourgeoisie.
Im April wurde Taner Ceylans Arbeit “1879” (2010) bei Sotheby´s in London für 229.250 Pfund versteigert.
Couresy: GALERIST, Istanbul
How do the Turkish artists view themselves: as a part
of a global art discourse? Or are they anchored to
the Turkish past, more related to calligraphies or the
Islamic ban on painting?
Oya Delahaye: No. Actually the Turkish artists are
more intrigued by the West. That doesn’t mean they
are trying to break with their Eastern traditions.
Turks—and this started with the Ottomans—have
always moved and have always been attracted to the
West, to Europe.
Ms. Tacir, you studied in Pennsylvania. Actually you
bought your first piece of art there. Was it American
art? What made you continue collecting art?
Billur Tacir: My interest in contemporary art did
start at the Wharton Business School in Philadelphia,
where I took a course on American contemporary art.
I was really fascinated by the abstract expressionists
and the pop artists. At that time I couldn’t afford to
buy abstract expressionism, so the first piece I bought
was an Andy Warhol print. I was really excited about
owning a part of art history, owning a work from an
artist I really admire. From then on, I spent every
weekend in museums and galleries. My passion grew
when I met my husband Atilla, who also shares this
passion.
What have you been collecting since you arrived
back in Istanbul? Are you now more into young
Turkish art? Are there any trends that you like?
Billur Tacir: To be honest, my taste has been changing
also because there has been such a development in
Turkish art with a more Western approach. When
I first came to Turkey, there was a greater focus on
tradition. But the younger generation of artists are
much more open to the West. It is really exciting
to see how they are working with lots of different
media.
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