The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) in New York, home to one of the world's most extensive art collections, is preparing for a landmark exhibition that will resonate across the global art scene. Jointly curated by the museum’s Departments of European Paintings and Islamic Art, the exhibition titled "Orientalism: Between Fact and Fantasy" will open from June 12, 2026, to February 28, 2027. Focusing on how the image of the "East" was constructed through the lenses of art, cultural encounters, colonialism, and modernization during the 19th century, the selection will bring together rare paintings by Osman Hamdi Bey alongside Western masters such as Jean-Léon Gérôme.
A Milestone at The Met: An Internal Perspective on the Orient
Marking the very first exhibition in The Met’s history to place Orientalism as its primary core theme, the project constructs a historical narrative starting from Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt in 1798 and extending to the works of the Ottoman intellectual and painter Osman Hamdi Bey. Comprising approximately 180 works, the curated selection spans oil paintings, drawings, photographs, textiles, historical armor, ceramics, and metalwork.
Described in The Met’s official announcement as one of the most complex and fascinating figures of the 19th century, Osman Hamdi Bey is positioned as a powerful insider response to the exoticized and stereotyped depictions of the East popularized by Western Orientalist painters. Presenting a sophisticated view of modern, cosmopolitan life within the Ottoman Empire, his paintings offer global art critics a fresh framework for cultural evaluation.
Masterpieces Continue to Welcome Visitors at the Pera Museum
Simultaneously with this international development in New York, a premier selection of Osman Hamdi Bey’s work remains on display in Istanbul at the Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation Pera Museum. Part of the permanent Orientalist Painting Collection, the exhibition highlights the artist's multifaceted legacy as a painter, archaeologist, and museologist who shaped the cultural fabric of the late Ottoman era.
The collection at the Pera Museum allows art professionals and enthusiasts to closely examine some of his most celebrated masterpieces, including "The Tortoise Trainer" and "Two Musicians Girls". These works showcase his precise figurative compositions, distinct use of light, and unique intellectual positioning within Ottoman modernization.
Museum Operational Hours and Access Guidelines
For industry professionals and art enthusiasts planning to visit the collection in Istanbul, the museum's operational schedule is organized as follows:
Visiting Hours: The Pera Museum welcomes guests Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 to 19:00, and on Sundays from 12:00 to 18:00.
Access Protocols: Aligned with corporate social responsibility policies, admission is entirely free for all students on Wednesdays as part of the "Young Wednesday" initiative, and free to the general public every Friday from 18:00 to 22:00 during "Long Friday" hours.
We will continue to track international exhibition schedules, global institutional partnerships within the museum sector, and the socio-economic impacts of cultural heritage assets. For detailed ticketing information and exhibition updates, you can check The Met Official Website and Pera Museum Official Website.
