The "Fatihname" exhibition, which portrays the biography of Sultan Mehmed II, also known as Mehmed the Conqueror – a figure who holds a significant place in both Turkish and world history and is known for bridging two eras – through the art of miniature painting, has opened at the Istanbul Tulip Foundation (ILAV).
The artworks in the exhibition, prepared by the Algan Art Group, were created based on documents and factual information, under the guidance and supervision of Türkiye's most esteemed history experts. All details and illustrations in the artworks were crafted in accordance with the norms and customs of the period, making them academically significant in terms of content, narration and visuals.
The exhibition was prepared under the consultancy of professors such as Mesut Aydıner, Ömer Işbilir, Zeynep Tarım Ertuğ, Akif Kuruçayır, Abdulkadir Özcan and Mustafa Ismet Uzun, features 64 works by master artist Reza Hemmatirad and his nine students.
"We created these works over more than eight years of intermittent effort. We did not rely on stories but worked with academic documents and consulting scholars to create these miniature pieces. We depicted the most significant events from the sultan's birth to his death—those that changed the course of his life and empire—through miniatures," Hemmatirad said regarding the exhibition.
"For instance, Sultan Mehmed II was born not in a palace but in an ordinary mansion. He was very active as a child. Moreover, while we endeavored to create all the miniatures in the classical style, we also reflected contemporary artistic trends. Some pieces took months just to design. Our consultants occasionally discovered new documents, requiring us to recreate the works accordingly. We aimed to reflect the psychology of that period."
The exhibition is open for visitors until June 12 at ILAV.
