Art museums in Istanbul reopen with COVID-19 measures

By Musa Alcan

ISTANBUL (AA) – Contemporary art museums in Istanbul reopened to art lovers Tuesday as Turkey continued to ease restrictions against the novel coronavirus.

The Istanbul Museum of Modern Art (Istanbul Modern), Pera Museum, Sabanci University Sakip Sabanci Museum and Arter museum are among the contemporary art venues that reopened with measures against the coronavirus after being closed for nearly three months.

Measuring of body temperatures at the entrance, disinfecting hands and wearing masks are among the main compulsory rules at all museums.

With safety measures in place, state-owned museums and archeological sites across Turkey reopened as of June 1, when the country eased lockdown measures.

-Istanbul Modern

Istanbul Modern, Turkey's first museum of modern and contemporary art, was temporarily closed to visitors on March 17. The building is regularly sanitized by professional teams amid the virus.

Visits to the museum can be arranged through online reservations on their website or by purchasing tickets with a credit card.

“To offer you a safer and more comfortable museum experience, we have introduced an online reservation system that enables you to reserve a specific time slot for your visit,” the museum said on its website.

To ensure safe social distancing, the museum is limiting the number of visitors allowed inside at any one time to 70.

“Please take note of the signs on every floor indicating the maximum number of visitors allowed on that floor,” it said.

All training and activities including guided group tours and movie screenings at Istanbul Modern Cinema continue online.

Two exhibitions of collections -- Guests: Artists and Craftspeople and Lutfi Ozkok: Portraits -- are currently on display.

Museum director Levent Calikoglu told Anadolu Agency that the museum presented their up-to-date content on digital platforms during closure time.

“We are changing our collection as of next week. Visitors will be able to see our new collection exhibition on the second and third floors of the museum,” said Calikoglu.

He said that all art institutions in the world will continue to host visitors in both the physical and online environment.

-Sabanci Museum

“Sakıp Sabancı Museum’s Arts of the Book and Calligraphy, Furniture and Decorative Arts, and Painting collections as well as its garden will be open to visitors from 10.00 to 18.00 every day except Mondays, with measures taken to protect the health and safety of our staff and visitors,” it said on its website.

The museum is limiting the number of visitors it will allow at the same time to 200.

The gallery section of the museum will be closed until further notice.

-Pera Museum

Pera Museum also reopened its doors on Tuesday.

“We are awaiting you at our museum, where all the hygiene and social distancing measures required for your health are being taken,” the museum said on its website.

The museum reopened with new visiting hours of 11:00-18:00 Tuesday-Saturday and 12:00-18:00 on Sunday.

Thermal cameras at the entrance will both measure body temperature and automatically alert visitors who are not wearing masks.

The museum, which offered digital exhibitions and publications for open access during the closure period, will carry out activities including film screenings and panel discussions online.

In the first phase of reopening, the museum will allow only 45 visitors at one time, as only two of its floors are open for visiting. When all of its floors are opened, the museum will host around 90 people.

-Arter

Istanbul’s contemporary arts center Arter will allow 200 visitors at one time.

The center will be open between 11:00-17:00 Tuesday to Sunday until further notice.

Arter will organize guided tours with a limited number of participants.

The center has postponed until further notice any concerts or performances scheduled in its activity program.