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Bruce Silverstein Gallery is pleased to announce exclusive representation, and its inaugural exhibition of work by Turkish artist Ahmet Ertuğ (b. 1949). Featuring twenty-seven monumental color photographs spanning the artist’s career, Ahmet Ertuğ: Photographs, 1978 – 2020 marks the artist's first solo gallery exhibition in the United States. From the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul to the St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, Ertuğ has sought renowned examples of architecture that follow three principles, as defined by the Roman architect Vitruvius: durability (firmatis), utility (utilitas), and beauty (venustatis). By use of large format cameras, long exposure techniques, and the eye of a formally trained architect, Ertuğ adeptly captures both the enormous scale and intimate details of his subjects. Each image is imbued with rich tonalities echoing an Old World aesthetic, which the artist attributes to his Byzantine and Ottoman heritage. The achievement of Ertuğ’s work sits firmly in its ability to immediately transfix and transport the viewer to another place and moment in time.
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Ahmet Ertuğ, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, 2014
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Ahmet ErtuğPalace of Versailles, Hall of Mirrors, FranceChromogenic print70 3/4 x 88 1/2 in (180 x 225 cm)
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Ahmet ErtuğTeatro Massimo Bellini, PalermoArchival pigment print88 x 70 3/4 in (223.8 x 180 cm)
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Ahmet ErtuğMorlacchi Theater, Perugia, Italy, 2017Archival pigment print59 3/4 x 48 3/4 in (151.8 x 123.8 cm)
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Ahmet Ertuğ, born in Istanbul in 1949, first began his career as an architect after studying at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London from 1969 to 1974, and credits his aesthetic vision to his principal mentor and co-collaborator, Sedad Hakkı Eldem, one of the pioneers of nationalized modern architecture in Turkey. A passion for Japanese culture, specifically photography, set Ertuğ on a fortuitous path after graduation. While beginning his photographic practice, Ertuğ had an exhibition of large-scale black and white images of Iranian architecture. Japanese film director and photographer Banri Namikawa saw the show and became friendly with Ertuğ, which led him to recommend Ertuğ for a fellowship with The Japan Foundation, which he received in 1978. Ertuğ traveled extensively throughout Japan, and photographed ancient temples, Zen gardens, and traditional festivals. While in Japan, Ertuğ was influenced by legendary photographer and publisher Yukio Futagawa. Futagawa’s large format books made a lasting impression on Ertuğ, and prompted the artist to not only publish his own large format books on architecture, but also to begin working with large format cameras.
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Ahmet Ertuğ, Bibliotheque Nationale de France, Oval Hall, Paris, 2008
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Ertuğ has had many solo exhibitions on the international stage, including with United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, as well as at Couvent des Cordelier and La Conciergerie in Paris, as well as the Ephesos Museum in the Kunst Historiche Museum in Vienna. Photographs of Buddhist sculptures were exhibited at Musée Guimet, and were also published in a book dubbed the most beautiful book of the year (2004) by Le Monde. Ertuğ was also invited by the director of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg to photograph the building, and a resultant book was published on the institution’s 250th anniversary. Ertuğ lives and works in Istanbul.
