DOHA: Qatar Museums (QM), in collaboration with the Ara Güler Museum in Turkiye, presents, 'In the Footsteps of Ara Güler: Exploring the Photographer’s Legacy (August 9 to November 9 2024), an expansive survey of the work of world-renowned photographer and photojournalist Ara Güler (b. 1928, d. 2018).
Presented at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA), the exhibition captures not just the mastery of Güler’s lens but also his profound dedication to portraying the essence of Turkiye and its cultural heritage.
Through Güler’s iconic images of Istanbul, archaeological findings, and insightful portraits of global figures, visitors will experience firsthand his deep influence on photography and his dedication to preserving shared cultural memory.
Born in Istanbul in 1928, Güler is widely celebrated both nationally and internationally as a master of photojournalism and the art of photography. Having lived until the age of 90, he bore witness to almost the entirety of modern Turkiye’s history. With a career spanning 70 years, Güler’s work is a visual historical record of Turkiye and beyond.
In the Footsteps of Ara Gülerr: Exploring the Photographer’s Legacy offers a comprehensive overview of the artist’s work depicting Istanbul’s inhabitants and revealing historical landmarks, immortalising both through his inquisitive eye.
The exhibition features 155 photographs alongside correspondence, photographic equipment, cameras, and other memorabilia from the Ara Güler Archives and Research Center in Istanbul.
In Good Company focuses on Güler’s portraits of leading writers, artists, politicians, philosophers, and other notable figures of his time, many of whom Güler befriended throughout his life.
Highlights include a handmade book maquette titled Seven Landmarks of the World, a compilation of his portraits of seven figures, including Pablo Picasso, Tennessee Williams, and Salvador Dalí; and—exclusive to this exhibition—his portrait of Fahrelnissa Zeid, paired with drawings by the artist, from the collection of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art.
Commenting on the occasion, Sheika Maryam Al Thani, Exhibition Co-Curator, said, “This exhibition represents a special collaboration between the Ara Güler Museum and archives and Qatar Museums. By bringing together Ara Güler’s iconic photographs and ephemera with carefully curated objects from our extensive General Collection, we create a fascinating dialogue that offers fresh perspectives on both Güler’s work and our own holdings.
“This partnership not only enables us to share knowledge and resources but also to shed new light on a historic photographer’s oeuvre while highlighting the depth and diversity of Qatar Museums’ collections, which comprise over 300,000 objects.”
