The transformation of women artists representation: a feminist analysis of the historical narrative and Istanbul Modern's new works new horizons exhibition

This thesis is about the representation of women artists in the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, exploring how these artists unsettle the male gaze of the State historically founded in the Turkish Art Scene. The Constitution of 1908 brought about a rapid ''westernization/modernization'' process, and the foundation of the Republic in 1923 assigned this move as a state policy. The art field was encouraged in this regard as a space reflecting the level of modernization of a country by this State led movement. The first Art Museum of Turkey founded in 1937 by the State as ''the Istanbul State Museum of Painting and Sculpture'' could be considered as part of the Kemalist republican project of modernity. The artists in the collection consisted of the military painters and of some upper class families' children educated in Europe or at home by some tutors, as well as of some artists graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts founded in 1883. There are a limited number of women artists' works in the same collection. Many of those women artists graduated from the Istanbul Academy of Fine Arts for Girls founded in 1914 -after 31 years of the first Academy-. After exploring the historical foundation of the male gaze in the sphere of art, this research in comparison with the State led art tradition, will seek to analyze the current representation of women artists in the private art museums founded in the last five years in Turkey through the example of Istanbul Modern. The frame of analysis will be Istanbul Modern's most comprehensive exhibition until now –New Works New Horizons- which claims to cover with an updated fresh look the history of Turkish Modern and Contemporary Art. The choice of artists and works will be explored with a feminist perspective to unveil what kind of a new historical narrative is offered and how the women artists and their works are positioned in it as well as how they challenge the female artist representation.