Art and artifact imports top $223M between 2011-15

During the 2011-2015 period, Turkey imported $223 million-worth of art, including historic antiques and collectors' pieces. Beside the intangible benefits, art - considered an important investment tool - has recently started attracting the attention of Turkish art lovers and investors.

Large amounts of money are spent on various art works at auctions organized in Turkey as well as around the world. According to data Anadolu Agency (AA) compiled from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), Turkey imported $41.5 million worth of art in 2011, followed by $40.8 million in 2012, $50 million in 2013, $55 million in 2014 and $35.6 million in 2015. Considering the subcategories of the imported art, handmade paintings ranked first in 2015 with $17.5 million.

While sculptures and statues ranked second on the list with $10.1 million, antiques that were more than 200 years old ranked third with $4 million. Moreover, the United Kingdom imported $8.4 million in art and antiques last year followed by the United States and France with $7 million each and Germany with $3.3 million.