Istanbul Museum of Painting and Sculpture: Turkish art at Galataport

Updated on October 4, 2026

The Istanbul Museum of Painting and Sculpture (İstanbul Resim ve Heykel Müzesi, IRHM) is the first museum of plastic arts in Turkey. It was founded in 1937, on Atatürk's proposal, in the former crown prince's apartments of Dolmabahçe Palace, in Beşiktaş. It belongs to Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (MSGSÜ). Note that it is no longer in Beşiktaş. Its collection has been moved to the former warehouse no. 5 of the Karaköy port (Antrepo 5), rebuilt to house it in the Tophane district, next to Galataport, and reopened to the public from 2021-2022. It presents a panorama of Turkish art from the late Ottoman period (late 19th century) to the end of the 20th century. Allow an hour and a half to two hours.

Highlights

The Antrepo 5 building

The port warehouse, originally designed by the architect Sedad Hakkı Eldem, was redesigned by Emre Arolat. Its concrete façade with a rhythm of square windows faces the renovated waterfront of Galataport.

An architecture of blocks

The projecting volumes of the façade give the museum a silhouette very different from the palace-museums of the old city. The museum also has a café, a shop and a research library.

The painting collection

It brings together works by Osman Hamdi Bey, İbrahim Çallı, Fahrünnisa Zeid and Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, among others, from landscapes of the late Ottoman Empire to the modern movements of the 20th century. The museum also holds collections of sculpture, ceramics and calligraphy from the Academy of Fine Arts. Displays and temporary exhibitions change: check the programme before your visit.

Infos pratiques

Tips

Prices taken from the museum's official website: 550 TL for foreign visitors (non-Turkish citizens); 200 TL full price and 100 TL for students over 18, rates reserved for Turkish citizens; a 20% discount for groups of 10 or more. Entry is free for under-18s, disabled visitors and their companion, teachers, soldiers, the press, and for all students on Tuesdays from 4 pm to 8 pm. The museum is therefore not free for a foreign adult. The Turkish Museum Card is not mentioned on the museum's visit page: check before counting on it. For an art visit in Karaköy, continue to the Istanbul Modern museum and our guide to the Galata and Karaköy district, or see Dolmabahçe Palace, where the museum was born. More places are in our guide to the Beşiktaş district.

How to get there

Kılıçali Paşa Mahallesi, Meclis-i Mebusan Caddesi no. 6, 34425 Tophane, Beyoğlu, Istanbul. Tram T1, Tophane stop (about 5 minutes on foot); ferries and tram to Kabataş or Karaköy (about 10 minutes on foot); several bus lines stop at Salı Pazarı. Parking is available at Galataport. More information in our guide to transport in Istanbul.