Oya Eczacıbaşı (née Esener; born 1959) is a Turkish curator. She is the Chair of Board of the

Istanbul Modern Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, colloquially referred to as Istanbul Modern (), is a contemporary art gallery located inside the Galataport complex in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey. Inaugurated on December 11, 2004, Istanbul Modern was ...

Biography

She was born in 1959 in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

as the daughter of the former Turkish Minister of Labour and Social Security Prof. Turhan Esener. Oya Eczacibaşı completed her high school studies at the Lycée Marie Curie in

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

, and achieved her university degree in

management science Management science (or managerial science) is a wide and interdisciplinary study of solving complex problems and making strategic decisions as it pertains to institutions, corporations, governments and other types of organizational entities. It is ...

Boğaziçi University Boğaziçi University (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Boğaziçi Üniversitesi''), also known as Bosphorus University, is a Public university, public research university in Istanbul, Turkey, historically tied to a former American educational insti ...

’s Faculty of Administrative Sciences. Additionally, she has a master’s degree in museum management from the

University of Leicester The University of Leicester ( ) is a public university, public research university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park, Leicester, Victoria Park. The university's predecessor, Univ ...

. Oya Eczacibaşı became a member of the Biennial Advisory Board of the İstanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) in 1985. In 1987, she was in charge of organizing the Military Museum exhibits of the 1st

Istanbul Biennial The Istanbul Biennial is a contemporary art exhibition that has been held biennially in Istanbul, Turkey, since 1987. The Biennial has been organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) since its inception. Istanbul Biennial p ...

. She has been involved with numerous

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

s over the years. She served on the Board of Trustees of

Robert College The American Robert College of Istanbul ( or ), often abbreviated as Robert or RC, is a Selective school, highly selective, Independent school, independent, mixed-sex education, co-educational, Education in Turkey#Private schools, private Second ...

between 1994 and 2011, the Board of Directors of the Hisar Educational Foundation between 1996 and 2006, the Board of Directors of the Educational Volunteers Foundation of Turkey (TEGV) between 2003 and 2006, and the Executive Committee of the İstanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts between 2002 and 2008. Currently, Oya Eczacıbaşı serves on the Boards of İKSV and

. She is also a member of the International Council of the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

(MoMA). Between 2002 and 2007, Oya Eczacıbaşı taught museum management at Boğaziçi University. In 2011, Oya Eczacıbaşı received the " Chevalier dans l'Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur" from the Republic of France. Oya married on December 19, 1980 to

Bülent Eczacıbaşı Bülent Eczacıbaşı (, born 1949) is an esteemed Turkish businessman. He is chairman of the board at Eczacıbaşı Holding, a Turkish conglomerate founded by his father, Nejat Eczacıbaşı. Background Bülent Eczacıbaşı was born in İsta ...

(born 1949), the son of entrepreneur

Nejat Eczacıbaşı Mehmet Nejat Ferit Eczacıbaşı (; January 5, 1913 – October 6, 1993) was a Turkish chemist, industrialist, entrepreneur and philanthropist. He was a second-generation member of the notable Turkish Eczacıbaşı family. He was the founder of Ec ...

. The couple has a son Emre and a daughter Esra. She is fluent in English French and German.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eczacibasi, Oya 1959 births Living people Curators from Istanbul Turkish philanthropists Turkish women philanthropists Oya Boğaziçi University alumni Alumni of the University of Leicester Turkish women curators