Ustanın Elleri: Neşet Günal Atölyesi’nden Yolu Geçenler | Pera Palace Hotel, Galata Sergi Salonu

“The Master's Hands: Those Whose Paths Crossed Neşet Günal's Workshop” June 12 - July 31, 2026 Pera Palace Hotel, Galata Exhibition Hall In the history of Turkish art, some workshops are not merely places where education is provided; they are also spaces where thought takes shape, perspectives are passed down from generation to generation, and the artist's relationship with the world is redefined. In this sense, Neşet Günal's workshop at the Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts should be considered not only a painting workshop but also an important intellectual center that touches upon Turkey's social memory. This selection of works from the Demsa Group Collection, which has prepared numerous artistic projects contributing to Turkish art, is presented to the audience at the Pera Palace Hotel, Galata Exhibition Hall with the exhibition titled “The Master's Hands: Those Whose Paths Crossed Neşet Günal's Workshop”. This important exhibition, which will be recorded in history, goes beyond making visible the influence of a teacher on his students; it takes on a broad narrative focusing on the last half-century journey of figurative painting in Turkey. While bringing together artists whose paths crossed in the same studio, the exhibition also opens up a discussion on how an understanding of art gains continuity, how it transforms, and how it is passed on to new generations. The issue of artists who emerged from Neşet Günal's studio is actually a deeper matter than simply listing names. Because here, there is more than a "school of style," there is a transmission of a strong way of looking and an ethical stance. In other words, Günal's studio did not produce a style; but it created a discipline of thinking and seeing. Neşet Günal's painting is one of the most important representations of a strong figurative vein that directly relates to the social reality of post-Republican Turkey. However, evaluating his figurative approach only under the heading of "social realism" would be incomplete. Pera Palace Hotel, Galata Exhibition Hall BEYOĞLU – ISTANBUL Because Günal's painting is not only a sociological document of an era; it is also a profound plastic thought carrying the existential weight of humanity. As the Demsa Collection, we planned this exhibition with the works of artists who crossed paths with Neşet Günal, one of the painting department instructors (Sanayi-i Nefîse Mektebi, Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts, Mimar Sinan University, or today's Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University), who entered and left his studio and received training from him. Neşet Günal, who started his student life at the Academy in 1939, trained many artists between 1964 and 1983 (active academic/studio teaching until his retirement). Some of these names stayed in this studio for a few semesters, while others completed their entire education process in this studio until their graduation. The exhibition titled “The Master’s Hands: Those Who Passed Through Neşet Günal’s Workshop” featuring works by Neşet GÜNAL, Ahmet Umur DENİZ, Asım İŞLER, Artin DEMİRCİ, Aydın AYAN, Cansen ERCAN, Emel ŞAHİNKAYA (GÜNSÜR), Cemal Gürsel SOYEL, Cihat ARAL, Fahri SÜMER, Hüsnü KOLDAŞ, İnci EVİNER, İrfan OKAN, İrfan ÖNÜRMEN, Kasım KOÇAK, Kemal İSKENDER, Mahir GÜVEN, Mehmet GÜLERYÜZ, Mevlüt AKYILDIZ, Nedret SEKBAN, Neş’e ERDOK, Nevhiz TANYELİ, Resul AYTEMÜR, Sabahattin TUNCER, Serap Murathanoğlu EYRENCİ, Sezai ÖZDEMİR and Şenol YOROZLU will be on display at the Pera Palace Hotel, Galata Exhibition Hall until July 31. Available to watch. www.arttv.com.tr Instagram:   / arttv.com.tr   Facebook:   / arttvcomtr   Twitter:   / arttvcomtr   Linkedin:   / arttv-follow-your-art