Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (Turkish: Mimar Sinan Güzel Sanatlar Üniversitesi, or MSGSÜ) is a public art university in Istanbul, Turkey. The university's campus is located in the Fındıklı, Beyoğlu. The university was established in 1882 under the leadership of Osman Hamdi Bey.
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History
On January 1, 1882, the Ottoman Turkish painter, art historian, archaeologist, and museum curator Osman Hamdi Bey established the Imperial College of Fine Arts (Turkish: Sanayi-i Nefise Mekteb-i Âlisi, formally Mekteb-i Sanayi-i Nefise-i Şâhâne or Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi), modeled after the Beaux-Arts de Paris. When it opened on March 2, 1883 with eight instructors and 20 students, the college was the Ottoman Empire's first educational institution for fine arts and architecture.
In 1914, the school became co-educational. In 1928, it was converted from a school to an academy, the first in Turkey, and its name was changed to the State Academy of the Fine Arts (Turkish: Devlet Güzel Sanatlar Akademisi). In 1969, it was renamed as the Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts (Turkish: İstanbul Devlet Güzel Sanatlar Akademisi, or İDGSA), and gained administrative autonomy according to Law No. 1172 on Fine Arts Academies in Turkey.
On July 20, 1982, its status was changed again, and the academy became Mimar Sinan University (Turkish: Mimar Sinan Üniversitesi) in memory of the Ottoman chief-architect Mimar Sinan. Finally, in December 2003, the administration of the university changed its name to the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. Since 1982, the institution has been providing four-year educational programmes.
Building
The buildings that house what is now the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University were initially constructed in 1856 as the twin palaces of Münire Sultan and Cemile Sultan, the daughters of Sultan Abdülmecid. They subsequently housed the meetings of the Chamber of Deputies of the Ottoman Empire between 1910 and 1920.
Basic Design Education Division
Following the Academy Reform and a student occupation in 1968, Basic Design Education (Turkish: Temel Sanat Eğitimi) was incorporated into the curriculum in 1969. The Basic Design Education Division was critical of the master-apprentice model and aimed to blur the distinction between handicrafts and fine arts. The co-founders of this division included Altan Gürman, Ercümend Kalmık, Ali Teoman Germaner, Erkal Güngören, Özer Kabaş, and Nuri Temizsoylu, who wanted to create a Bauhaus-inspired model to enable consistency and continuity in the education that first-year students received. This model aimed at encouraging students to explore, question and analyse different techniques, tools, and materials related to arts and design.
Following the 1980 coup d'état in Turkey, the administration and autonomy of universities changed, and Basic Design Education was removed from the curriculum in 1982. The Mimar Sinan Fine Arts High Schools in Istanbul and Ankara have no relation with Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University.
Organisation
Faculty of Fine Arts: Photography, Traditional Turkish Handicrafts, Graphic Design, Sculpture, Painting, Stage Design and Stage Clothes, Ceramics Art and Glass Art, Cinema and TV, Textile Design and Fashion Design, Bookbinding, Tilework Restoration, Calligraphy, Rug and Old Textile Design, Restoration and Conservation of Art Works (Painting and Sculpture)
Faculty of Architecture: Architecture, Urban Planning and Regional Planning, Industrial Design, Interior Architecture
Istanbul State Conservatory: Music, Musicology, Performing Arts
Vocational School: Textile Design, Architectural Restoration
Faculty of Natural Sciences and Literature: Archeology, Pedagogy, Physics, Philosophy, Statistics, Mathematics, History of Art, Sociology, History, Turkish Literature
Institute of Natural Sciences
Institute of Social Sciences
Institute of Fine Arts
School of Informatics
Notable people
Notable faculty
Osman Hamdi Bey — Painter, art historian and archaeologist
Alexander Vallaury — French architect
Salvatore Valeri — Italian painter
Yervant Osgan — Ottoman Armenian sculptor
İbrahim Çallı — Painter
Filiz Ali — Pianist and musicologist
Rudolf Belling — German sculptor
Nuri Bilge Ceylan — Film director, screenwriter and photographer
Adnan Coker — Painter
Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu — Painter and poet
Nazmi Ziya Güran — Painter
Giulio Mongeri — Italian Levantine architect
Vedat Tek — Turkish architect
Bruno Taut — German architect
Sedad Hakkı Eldem — Turkish architect
Robert Vorhoelzer — German architect and city planner
Ali Teoman Germaner — Sculptor
Neşe Aybey — Miniaturist
Hüseyin Tahirzade Behzat — Miniaturist
Notable alumni
Emre Arolat — Architect and professor
Okan Bayülgen — Actor and TV personality
Hande Erçel — Actress and model
Nazlı Deniz Kuruoğlu — Ballet dancer and Miss Turkey 1982
Tuba Büyüküstün — Actress and model
Halit Ergenç — Actor
Nejat İşler — Actor
Sarp Akkaya — Actor
Maide Arel — Armenian-Turkish painter, graduated in 1935
Akbar Behkalam — German-Iranian painter and sculptor
Sinem Banna — Turkish-American sculptor
Adnan Coker — Painter
Nevin Çokay — Painter
Nazmi Ziya Güran — Painter
Nur Koçak — Artist
Maya Kulenovic — Canadian painter (student from 1992 to 1995)
Elif Naci — Painter
Erinç Seymen — Turkish artist
Tiraje Dikmen — Turkish painter
Emel Cimcoz — Turkish painter and First lady of Turkey (1973-1980)
Burak Bilgili — Opera singer