The Ankara State Museum of Paintings and Sculptures
The Ankara State Museum of Paintings and Sculptures was built in 1927, by the architect Arif Hikmet Koyunoğlu, upon the directive of Atatürk, the great leader of the Turkish Nation.
The Museum, which was opened after the restoration of the building in 1980, has become an institution which comprises all properties of a modern museum, in a short period of time.
Today the museum, is a center of art at which the most outstanding works of the artists who played important roles in the development of Turkish Painting and Sculpture Arts are exhibited. These arts have only a rather short history compared to more traditional branches of arts. In addition to the collections of works of art reflecting the formation and the development periods of the Turkish Plastic Arts, and its classification, and to the library of Plastic Arts which fills the gap in this field, enriched every year by the donations of the public, domestic or foreign, and Foreign Embassies, or by new purchases, the Archives of Turkish Artists satisfactorily respond to the needs of researchers working in these fields.
The protection of the works of art, which is one of the most important responsibilities of the museum, beside training, is done by employing a method particularly developed to ensure the most satisfactory results when dealing with problems arising from temperature, humidity and storage difficulties. Any damage identified due to aging, which may occur in spite of all protection, is dealt with by experts in the special unit which has been set up as a seperate division within the Museum.
During the restoration of the building in 1980, and in following years, another important point, on which considerable emphasis was laid, is the construction of workshops of painting, sculpture and ceramics, which serve artists, both amateur and professional.
As for the security measures, the whole building is furnished with closed-circuit T.V., ultrasonic and firealarm systems so as to be able to control every part of the museum.
In addition to the workshop, at which painting and (original Printing) courses are held, special workshops for Turkish Ornamenting Arts, ceramic, and sculpture will be opened within a short period of time to meet public demand beyond the capacity of the museum.
Exhibitions of painting, sculpture, ceramics, graphic arts and photography programmed to take place in Turkey within the framework of international cultural agreements, are exhibited in the three galleries reserved for periodical exhibitions; thus, the works of art of foreign countries are made known to the Turkish public. In addition, exhibitions of Turkish works of art selected from the collection of the Museum are organized abroad, within the framework of international cultural agreements. Besides these exhibitions, retrospective exhibitions organized by the General Directorate of Fine Arts, individual exhibitions and competitive exhibitions are among the other activities of the Museum.
In the historical hall, which has been transformed to its original design during the restorations, various kinds of actitivities such as concerts, theatrical performances and film projections take place.
Serving to public with its modern cafeteria, sales outlet and audio system, the institution, beyond its function as an exhibition location for old works of art, comprises all attributes of a modern Museum of Art.
