The museum of Internationally-acclaimed Armenian-Turkish photographer Ara Guler, also known as the “eye of Istanbul,” has opened in Istanbul. As the Hurriyet Daily News reports, the museum currently hosts an exhibition titled “The man who whistles” displaying photos, videos, paintings, objects and books from Guler’s archive.
The museum was opened in collaboration with Turkish conglomerate Dogus Group as the first photography artist museum in Turkey. It aims to carry Guler’s art, identity and life to the next generations, the report said.
During the opening event, Guler’s 90th birthday was celebrated too. As a birthday gift, he was given a book published by the museum with the same name of the exhibition. Speaking at the ceremony, Guler said it took many years to create his own archive and noted the difficulties of making an archive. The museum displays the artist’s works and negatives along with his personal belongings, cameras, press cards and collections.
Born in 1928 to an ethnic Armenian family, Guler is Turkey’s most famous photographer. Having produced volumes of black-and-white photographs of Istanbul, he documented his city’s ever-changing face.