Seref Bigali Exhibit at Ciragan Palace

The Ciragan Palace is located in Besiktas, on the European side of Istanbul, with a history going back to the early 18th century. At that time, it was the first palace built on the Bosphorus, and was wooden. By early the next century, it was taken down and a stone building was built in its place. By the early 20th century, there was a major fire in the building and it needed to be rebuilt. Today's incarnation of the Ciragan Palace is a beautiful stone building used for events. This is the side view of the palace... and here is a portion of the terrace and gardens leading to the Bosphorus.

The interior is beautifully decorated, and on the ground floor of this atrium, the Seref Bigali art exhibit is on display.

Seref Bigali was born in Bergama, Turkey (north of Izmir) in 1925 and worked in both oils and watercolors. The current Turkish ambassador to Algeria, with the same family name, arranged this exhibit in honor of the artist who passed away in 2005. On display, were paintings as well as several sketchbooks - one opened to a striking rooster.

My favorite oil in the exhibit looks to have some Cezanne influence.

And the flowers were striking also.

The exhibit is on display until November 23rd. Some beautiful art in a lovely setting.