Camille Bergeaud’s Contributions to Turkish Art During His Occupation as the Cultural Attaché of France and the French Consulate in Istanbul as a Leading Exhibition Space of the Period
This article explores the art exhibitions held at the French Consulate in Istanbul during Camille Bergeaud’s tenure as Cultural Attaché from 1949 to 1955. It examines how, prior to the establishment of Istanbul’s first art galleries, the consulate served as a vital exhibition space for modern Turkish artists. In the 1940s, Istanbul was the country’s artistic centre, yet artists struggled to find venues to display their work. Bergeaud, who showed a strong interest in modern Turkish art, played a key role in opening the consulate to these artists. This study discusses the broader context of exhibition activities in the late Ottoman Empire and early Republican Turkey, focusing on Istanbul and Ankara. It highlights how, from the late 1940s, the French Consulate in Beyoğlu functioned as a gallery by hosting solo and group exhibitions, offering visibility to emerging artists. After a brief overview of Bergeaud’s life, the article analyzes the exhibitions organised during his post, considering contemporary art publications and the developing art criticism scene. Ultimately, it identifies the consulate as one of the main exhibition venues in Istanbul between 1949 and 1955, underlining its significance in the history of modern Turkish art.
Camille Bergeaud’nun Fransa Kültür Ataşeliği Döneminde Türk Sanatına Katkıları ve Dönemin Başlıca Sergi Mekânı Olarak İstanbul Fransız Konsolosluğu
Bu makalenin amacı, 1949’dan 1955’e dek İstanbul’daki Fransız Konsolosluğu’nda Kültür Ataşeliği görevini yürütmüş olan Camille Bergeaud’nun (1900-1973) döneminde, konsoloslukta düzenlenen sanat sergilerinin izini sürmek ve elde edilen sonuçlar ışığında, İstanbul’da ilk galerilerin açılmasının öncesinde, konsolosluğun Türk sanatçıları için bir sergi mekânı olarak işlevini tartışmaktır. Türkiye’deki sanatsal faaliyetlerin başlıca merkezi olan İstanbul’un 1940’lı yıllarda henüz sanatçıların eserlerini sergileyebilecekleri mekânları olmadığı görülür. Bu bağlamda, modern Türk sanatına yakınlık duyan Bergeaud’nun, Fransız Konsolosluğu’nun salonlarını bu sanatçılara sergi alanı olarak tahsisinin önemi büyüktür. Metin, bu olguyu sebepleri ve sonuçlarıyla inceleyerek, Camille Bergeaud’nun ve Fransız Konsolosluğu’nun, modern Türk sanatına katkısı ve sergiler tarihindeki yerini belirlemek amacı taşımaktadır. Çalışmada, Batı tarzında resim ve heykel sanatının yaygınlaşmasıyla önce Osmanlı Devleti’nde, sonra da Türkiye’de, İstanbul’da ve Ankara’daki sergi faaliyetlerine değinilmiş; Beyoğlu’ndaki Fransız Konsolosluğu’nun 1940’ların sonlarından itibaren, eserlerini sergileyecek mecra bulmakta zorlanan modern Türk sanatçılarına kişisel-karma sergiler düzenleyerek görünürlük kazanabilme olanağı sunan bir galeriye dönüşmesi ele alınmıştır. Kültür Ataşeliği görevindeyken modern Türk sanatçılarına büyük destek veren Camille Bergeaud’nun hayatı üzerinde durulduktan sonra, görev yaptığı dönemde konsoloslukta düzenlenen sergiler, zamanın sanat yayınları ekseninde ve gelişmekte olan sanat eleştirisi bağlamında incelenmiştir. Böylece, 1949-1955 arasında tespit edilen sergilerle, konsolosluğun İstanbullu sanatçılar için başlıca sergi mekânlarından biri olduğu belirlenmiştir
The purpose of this article is to trace the exhibitions organised at the French Consulate in Istanbul during the occupation of Camille Bergeaud (1900-1973), who served as the Cultural Attaché from 1949 to 1955. With the light of the results obtained, this article aims to discuss the consulate’s role as an exhibition space before the opening of the first art galleries.
The first part of the study briefly deals with the exhibition activities in Istanbul and Ankara, where Western-style painting and sculpture gained prominence in Turkey. During the late Ottoman Period, the establishment of the Sanayii Nefise Mektebi (Academy of Fine Arts) in Istanbul in 1882 was a substantial step for the institutionalisation for the education of the fine arts. However, as the school graduates more students, it has become a problem that these young artists cannot find a place to exhibit their works. Beginning in 1916, Galatasaray Exhibits held in Galatasaray High School (former Mekteb-i Sultani) became the first long term artistic organisations of the Ottoman Empire, and these exhibitions lasted until 1951. After the declaration of the Republic in 1923, during the Early Republican period, art was considered a tool to spread the ideology to the public and artists produced for the purposes of the state. After Ankara became the capital of the Republic, exhibition activities were mostly held in the new capital instead of Istanbul in such places like Ankara Exhibition House and the Ankara People’s House. Despite this activity in Ankara, the centre of the artistic production was still Istanbul. However the lack of exhibition halls besides the State Academy of Fine Arts and the Istanbul Painting and Sculpture Museum in Istanbul has become a problem for young artists. The People Houses established in 1932 was a temporary solution for this problem. After World War II, artists began to seek solutions for their own problems. At the end of the 1940s, the French Consulate became new exhibition venue for Turkish artists.
In the second part, the research explores the transformation process of the French Consulate in Beyoğlu into a gallery where modern Turkish artists could exhibit their works starting from the late 1940s. The consulate building, which was and is still located in Beyoğlu became popular among local artists because until this time, artists were exhibiting their works at places such as empty magazines, bars and restaurants around Beyoğlu district. When Camille Bergeaud was charged as the Cultural Attaché of France in Istanbul, French Consulate galleries became gradually more popular among the artists, especially the young ones.
The third part narrates the life of Camille Bergeaud, who provided essential support to Turkish artists during his occupation as a cultural attaché. A bright example of the French higher education system (after all, he was alumnus of École Normale Supérieure, one of the most prestigious schools in France) Bergeaud was a highly trained man in classical languages, such as Greek and Latin; yet, his solid interest in the Orient and its culture resulted in a dissertation about the image of the Orient in medieval French chansons. Moreover, he had the purpose of promoting French culture overseas. All these aspects made him an important figure in the late 1940s and early 1950s art circles of Istanbul. He was both a well-known and respected intellectual whose main goals were to create a new space for Turkish art and to have some connections among Turkish artists. While he left Turkey in the mid 1950s, he could easily be deemed successful.
The fourth part examines the exhibitions held at the consulate during Bergeaud’s occupation, by focusing on art publications of the time. Under Bergeaud’s direction, the consulate became an important exhibition space that allowed modern Turkish artists to show themselves and their Works in, a way that was unprecedented and unparalleled in the history of the Republican era of Turkey. A significant portion of the 1940s art criticism directly evolved from those exhibitions at the French consulate, but nevertheless, the exact quality and quantity of all the exhibitions held in the consulate were still poorly researched. However, this period is an important phase of Turkish art—it shows its weaknessses as well as its strengths. This part is completed with a list of all detected exhibitions of the French consulate, from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s.
