Comprising works entirely from the Karaburçak Family collection, the selection focuses on the artist's unique color language and production practice, inviting viewers to reconsider the relationship between personal and collective memory.
Casa Botter, which plays a significant role in the revitalization of culture and art on İstiklal Street, has opened its doors to visitors with its new exhibition, "A Color Painter: İhsan Cemal Karaburçak."
Transformed into one of Beyoğlu's prominent cultural and artistic venues through meticulous restoration and repurposing efforts by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Heritage, and holding the distinction of being Istanbul's first Art Nouveau building, Casa Botter now hosts a special selection of works entirely from the Karaburçak Family collection.
Organized by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Culture and Heritage, the exhibition brings the artist's unique understanding of color into the public space, inviting viewers to rethink the boundaries between the personal and the collective. The exhibition “A Color Painter: İhsan Cemal Karaburçak” can be visited free of charge at Casa Botter until August 30th.
İhsan Cemal Karaburçak, one of the most original names in Turkish painting who forged his own path without academic training, was for many years considered among the “masters waiting to be discovered.” His independent painting style, developed without adhering to any particular art movement, is particularly known for the purple tones that have become his signature on the canvas. The artist's work evolves from early, directly observational images to more abstract, intense, and memory-like compositions over time.
Karaburçak's lifelong practice of active observation forms the fundamental layers of his art. His journeys along telegraph lines, the geographies he encountered as a journalist, and the inner space he created through painting are reflected in his works as overlapping layers of time. This multi-layered structure gradually transforms into a coded visual language reminiscent of Morse code and a dense compositional style reminiscent of miniatures.
For the artist, color is not only a means of expression but also a way of thinking and remembering. Especially shades of purple create an atmosphere in his paintings that hangs between night and day, reality and memory, suggesting a visual language that reconstructs the world.
The exhibition, consisting of works from the Karaburçak Family collection, offers the opportunity to read the artist's work not only through fragments but also as a holistic visual memory. Thus, the exhibition stands out both as an archival encounter and as a living trace of an art practice accumulated over time, carried into the present day.
The exhibition “A Color Painter: İhsan Cemal Karaburçak” can be visited free of charge at Casa Botter every day except Mondays, from 10:00 to 19:00, between April 16 and August 30.
Source: https://tr.euronews.com/kultur/2026/04/22/casa-botterde-bir-renk-ressami-ihsan-cemal-karaburcak-sergisi