A Turkish pharma giant’s passion for rare objects

Abdi İbrahim’s boss Nezih Barut is a very esteemed collector in Turkey, with a priceless collection of 600 pieces of artwork, comprising mostly of photographs and paintings. He took his passion as a private collector after his late father and herewith shares his insights with us.

ANY ITEM OF VALUE

My collection comprises of pieces from local and international artists who share a universal language, spanning a period from modern to date. In time, it has evolved into a collection with pieces also from current era artists, that I share with people around me; it is a collection that I value. My collection has pieces from painting, sculpture, video, objects and photography. It also has installations and new media work, an area that exhibits some of the most striking works of art lately.

STARTED WITH STAMPS

I grew up in a family that loved and valued art, this was a great blessing for me. I learned from my father and older sister’s interest in art, I watched them buy pieces of art. My father had a collection of silver and small objects. My sister was into Kütahya tiles and tombac. I started my journey with collecting stamps, like many other children that was a good point to start. The first item I actually purchased was a Çanakkale ceramic plate. My adventure as a collector started with an orientalist painting by De Mango.
I collect many different forms of art, though paintings have always been most dear to my heart.

I LIKE BEING AROUND ART

I have approximately 600 pieces - I love being around art, I like the smell and feel of it. I prefer to display them in Abdi İbrahim offices and around my house rather than keeping them in warehouses and safes. Sometimes I rearrange them, or replace older ones with a new arrival. New arrivals always have priority when it comes to display.
I am personally involved in choosing which piece goes where or positioning them, I feel like this allows me to establish a deeper connection with them.

I CONTINUE TO EXPAND MY COLLECTION

Recently I expanded my collection with pieces from internationally acclaimed artists including Gilbert and George, Alex Katz, William Kentridge, Yves Klein, Anselm Ryle, Julian Schnabel, Oscar Murillo, Erik Parker, Jaume Plensa, Marc Quinn, Tony Cragg, Eric Fischl, Xavier Veilhan, Robert Longo, Anish Kapoor, Jack Pierson, Yayoi Kusama, Michael Craig Martin, Paulina Olowska, Jim Campbell and Chiharu Shiota. Photography has been an area of special interest for me, I have pieces from Andreas Gursky, Thomas Ruff, Vik Muniz, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Irvin Penn, Lailla Essaydi, Liu Bolin, Shirin Neshat, Basim Magdy, Ara Güler and Ziya Tacir in my photography collection.

OUR OFFICES ARE LIKE AN ART GALLERY

Most of my collection gets displayed in Abdi İbrahim offices and in my residence - our buildings serve like a center of modern art. Our headquarters’ designer Dante Benini was awarded the Designer of the Year Award in Italy with this design. The building is an example of modern architecture and this allows it to have a nice harmony with some of the pieces in the collection. I am of the opinion that exhibiting these pieces in our headquarters, factories and offices enhances the motivation of our employees and increases their interest in art.

14 Haziran 2017 Çarşamba

Etiketler : English