The Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University ( tr, Mimar Sinan Güzel Sanatlar Üniversitesi, or MSGSÜ) is a Turkish

public university A public university or public college is a university or college that is in state ownership, owned by the state or receives significant government spending, public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private unive ...

dedicated to higher education in the fine arts. It is located in the Fındıklı neighbourhood of

Beyoğlu Beyoğlu (, ota, بك‌اوغلی, script=Arab) is a district on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey, separated from the old city (historic peninsula of Constantinople) by the Golden Horn. It was known as the region of Pera (Πέρα, mean ...

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

, Turkey. Founded in 1882 by

Osman Hamdi Bey Osman Hamdi Bey (30 December 1842, in Istanbul 24 February 1910) was an Ottoman administrator, intellectual, art expert and also a prominent and pioneering painter. He was also an accomplished archaeologist, and is regarded as the pioneer of th ...

, the institution imitated the traditional European Beaux-Arts model and was the first Western-style art academy of its kind in the Middle East. The Mimar Sinan Fine Arts High Schools in

and

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, mak ...

have no relation with the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University.

History

On January 1, 1882, he renowned Turkish painter, art historian, archaeologist, and museum curator,

established the School of Fine Arts (Sanayi-i Nefise Mekteb-i Âlisi, formally Mekteb-i Sanayi-i Nefise-i Şâhâne or Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi) here. When it opened on March 2, 1883, with eight instructors and 20 students, it was Turkey's first educational institution for the fine arts and architecture. In 1914, the school became co-educational. In 1928 it was converted from a school to an academy - the first in Turkey - and its name was changed to the State Academy of the Fine Arts (Devlet Güzel Sanatlar Akademisi). In 1969, it was renamed as the Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts (İstanbul Devlet Güzel Sanatlar Akademisi, or İDGSA), and gained administrative autonomy according to Law No. 1172 on Fine Arts Academies in Turkey. On July 20, 1982, its status was changed again, and the academy became Mimar Sinan University"(Mimar Sinan Üniversitesi) in memory of the great Ottoman architect

Mimar Sinan Mimar Sinan ( ota, معمار سينان, translit=Mi'mâr Sinân, , ) ( 1488–1490 – 17 July 1588) also known as Koca Mi'mâr Sinân Âğâ, ("Sinan Agha the Grand Architect" or "Grand Sinan") was the chief Ottoman architect ( tr, l ...

. Finally, in December 2003, the administration of the university changed its name to the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. Since 1982 the institution has been providing four-year educational programmes.

Building

The building that houses what is now the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University started life in 1856 as the twin palaces of Münire Sultan and

Cemile Sultan Cemile Sultan ( ota, جمیله سلطان; "''beautiful, radiant''"; 17 August 1843 – 26 February 1915) was an Ottoman princess, the daughter of Sultan Abdulmejid I and Düzdidil Hanım. She was the half sister of Sultans Murad V, Abdul Ham ...

, the daughters of

Sultan Abdülmecid Abdulmejid I ( ota, عبد المجيد اول, ʿAbdü'l-Mecîd-i evvel, tr, I. Abdülmecid; 25 April 182325 June 1861) was the 31st Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and succeeded his father Mahmud II on 2 July 1839. His reign was notable for the ...

. They were used for meetings of the Chamber of Deputies of the Ottoman Empire between 1910 and 1920.

Basic Design Education Division

Following the Academy Reform and a student occupation in 1968, Basic Design Education (''Temel Sanat Eğitimi'') was incorporated into the curriculum in 1969. The Basic Design Education Division was critical of the master-apprentice model and aimed to blur the distinction between handicrafts and

fine art In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwor ...

s. The co-founders of this division included Altan Gürman, Ercümend Kalmık, Ali Teoman Germaner, Erkal Güngören, Özer Kabaş, and Nuri Temizsoylu, who wanted to create a

Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 2 ...

-inspired model to enable consistency and continuity in the education that first-year students received. This model aimed at encouraging students to explore, question and analyse different techniques, tools, and materials related to arts and design. Following the

1980 coup d'état in Turkey __NOTOC__ Year 198 (CXCVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sergius and Gallus (or, less frequently, year 951 ''Ab u ...

, the administration and autonomy of universities changed, and Basic Design Education was removed from the curriculum in 1982.

Academic units

* Faculty of natural sciences and literature (

archeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscape ...

pedagogy Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which rel ...

, statistics, mathematics,

history of art The history of art focuses on objects made by humans for any number of spiritual, narrative, philosophical, symbolic, conceptual, documentary, decorative, and even functional and other purposes, but with a primary emphasis on its aesthetic vis ...

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation and ...

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

, Turkish

philology Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as ...

and

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to inclu ...

) * Faculty of fine arts (

photography Photography is the visual art, art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It i ...

, traditional Turkish

handicraft A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

s, graphic design,

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

, stage design and stage clothes, ceramics art and

glass art Glass art refers to individual works of art that are substantially or wholly made of glass. It ranges in size from monumental works and installation pieces to wall hangings and windows, to works of art made in studios and factories, including glas ...

, cinema and TV, textile design and

fashion design Fashion design is the art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction and natural beauty to clothing and its accessories. It is influenced by culture and different trends, and has varied over time and place. "A fashion designer creates c ...

, bookbinding,

tilework Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, Rock (geology), stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, wa ...

restoration, calligraphy, rug and old textile design), Restoration and Conservation of art works (Painting and Sculpture) * Faculty of Architecture ( industrial design, interior architecture,

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...

urban planning Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water ...

and regional planning) * Istanbul State Conservatory (full-time and part-time) / (

music Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact definition of music, definitions of mu ...

, musicology, performing arts) * Vocational School (textile design, architectural restoration) * Institute of Natural Sciences * Institute of Social Sciences * Institute of Fine Arts * School of Informatics

Associated institutions

* Tophane Kasrı
Istanbul Museum of Painting and Sculpture

Tophane-i Amire Cultural Center

Notable faculty

–painter, art historian, and archaeologist *

Yervant Osgan Yervant Voskan (1855, Istanbul – Istanbul 1914) was an Armenian painter, sculptor, instructor, and administrator. He is the first known sculptor in modern Turkish sculpture history and as the first sculpture teacher at the Sanay-i Nefise he ed ...

–sculptor * İbrahim Çallı–painter * Filiz Ali–pianist and musicologist * Rudolf Belling–German sculptor *

Nuri Bilge Ceylan Nuri Bilge Ceylan (, born 26 January 1959) is a Turkish photographer, filmmaker and actor best known for the Palme d'Or winning '' Winter Sleep'' (2014). Early life Ceylan was born in Istanbul on 26 January 1959. His interest in photography sta ...

–film director, screenwriter, and photographer * Adnan Coker–painter * Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu–painter and poet *

Nazmi Ziya Güran Nazmi Ziya Güran (1881 – 11 September 1937) was a Turkish Impressionist painter and art teacher. Biography He was born in Istanbul. His father was a civil servant. He attended Vefa Lisesi, Turkey's first non-military high school,Bruno Taut Bruno Julius Florian Taut (4 May 1880 – 24 December 1938) was a renowned German architect, urban planner and author of Prussian Lithuanian heritage ("taut" means "nation" in Lithuanian). He was active during the Weimar period and is kno ...

–German architect *

Alexander Vallaury Alexander Vallaury (1850–1921) was a French- Ottoman architect, who founded architectural education and lectured in the School of Fine Arts in Constantinople (Istanbul), Ottoman Empire. Biography Vallaury was born in 1850 into a Levantine fam ...

–French architect * Robert Vorhoelzer–German architect and city planner * Ali Teoman Germaner–sculptor * Hande Erçel - Turkish actress and model *

Neşe Aybey Neşe Aybey (1930–2015), also written Neş'e Aybey, was a Turkish Painter, Miniaturist and Academic in the field of miniature art, one of the ''Traditional Turkish Arts'' and part of the Ottoman Book Arts. She was the older sister of sculptor ...

- miniaturist *

Hüseyin Tahirzade Behzat Hüseyin Tahirzade Behzat (;1889–1962), or Hossein Taherzadeh Behzad Tabrizi, was an Iranian miniaturist painter, calligrapher, educator, and carpet designer. He is considered one of the most important miniature artists of Iran, and has produce ...

- miniaturist

Notable alumni

Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University - Entrance

Actors and models

Okan Bayülgen Kaan Okan Bayülgen (born 23 March 1964) is a Turkish actor, variety and talk show host, comedian and photographer. Biography Bayülgen was born on 23 March 1964 in Istanbul, Turkey, to a lawyer father and a painter mother. He spent six years a ...

–actor and television personality * Hande Erçel–actress and model *

Nazlı Deniz Kuruoğlu Nazlı Deniz Kuruoğlu (born c. 1960) is a Turkish people, Turkish ballet dancer and a former beauty contestant and Miss Europe 1982. Biography She was educated in ballet dancing at the Conservatory of Mimar Sinan University in Istanbul, Turkey. S ...

–ballet dancer and Miss Turkey 1982 * Tuba Büyüküstün–actress and model * Halit Ergenç–actor * Nejat İşler–actor *

Sarp Akkaya Sarp Akkaya (born 13 May 1980) is a Turkish actor. He began acting at the age of twelve along with his twin brother Kaya Akkaya. Their older sister Esra Akkaya is also an actress. Sarp Akkaya and Kaya Akkaya played in TV series '' Bizim Aile'' ...

-actor

Artists

* Maide Arel – Armenian-Turkish painter, graduated in 1935. *

Akbar Behkalam Akbar Behkalam ( fa, اکبر بهکلام, born 16 September 1944) is an Iranian-born German painter and sculptor. Biography Akbar Behkalam was born in Tabriz, Iran on 16 September 1944, the capital of the Iranian province East Azerbaijan. F ...

–German-Iranian painter and sculptor * Sinem Banna–Turkish-American Sculptor * Adnan Coker–painter *

Nevin Çokay Nevin Çokay (born 1930-July 24, 2012) was a Turkish painter and high school teacher of art and history of art. Life Çokay was born in Istanbul, and spent her childhood in different regions of Turkey. In 1947, she started to attend to the studi ...

–painter *

Nazmi Ziya Güran Nazmi Ziya Güran (1881 – 11 September 1937) was a Turkish Impressionist painter and art teacher. Biography He was born in Istanbul. His father was a civil servant. He attended Vefa Lisesi, Turkey's first non-military high school,Nur Koçak–artist * Maya Kulenovic– Canadian painter (student from 1992 to 1995) * Elif Naci, painter *

Erinç Seymen Erinç Seymen (born 1980 Istanbul) is a Turkish artist. Life He graduated from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Painting Department in 2006 and received his MA from Yıldız Technical University Art and Design Faculty, with a thesis about Bob ...

–Turkish artist * Sevil Soyer–painter and interdisciplinary artist

Musicians

Burak Bilgili Burak Bilgili is a Turkish operatic bass-baritone who was born in Akşehir, a town in the Konya Province of Turkey. He has sung in leading opera houses in the United States and Europe. Initially, he studied at Mimar Sinan University in Istanbul ...

–opera singer * Yonca Evcimik–pop singer

Other

* Kutluğ Ataman–film director * Pınar Selek–sociologist and human rights activist * Galip Tekin–comic book artist

References

External links

University's official website

Mimar Sinan

Mimar Sinan Students Portal
{{Authority control Educational institutions established in 1882 Educational institutions established in 1982 Bosphorus Beyoğlu 1982 establishments in Turkey 1882 establishments in the Ottoman Empire