The Elgiz Museum was founded by collectors Sevda and Can Elgiz as the first contemporary art museum in Turkey in 2001. As public contemporary art museums and/or foundations did not exist, this privately-owned, non-profit institution took on the mission to support the development of contemporary art with an international identity in a 2000 m² space open to the public.

Formerly known as Proje4L, the space functioned as an experimental platform for young, up-and-coming artists and curators. Continuing this mission, the Elgiz Museum houses the family’s collection and hosts dynamic, avantgarde, temporary exhibitions, and educational programmes.

This “private collection museum” is situated amongst the highrise buildings of Istanbul’s business district Maslak, within which its open-air terrace provides an exhibition platform for sculptors and land-art projects. Tripadvisor has referred to the museum as a “hidden gem”, which can be visited on Tuesday-Friday from 10-17:00 on Saturdays from 10-16:00.

In 2013, the IFEMA Amigos de ARCO Madrid presented the Elgiz Collection with the International Collecting Award and in 2014, the Elgiz Museum was awarded with Turkey’s Contemporary Arts Foundation Honour Award, especially made by the sculptor Mehmet Aksoy. “Contemporary art presents the hopeful prospect of a society at peace with its cultural heritage.” – Can Elgiz