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The exhibition “Bosporus Beats. Views of Istanbul from 1500 to 1800” at the Kupferstichkabinett (Museum of Prints and Drawings) in the Kulturforum Berlin presents a multifaceted pictorial history between Europe and the Ottoman Empire. The last chance to see is May 31, 2026.
The focus is on Istanbul, the vibrant metropolis on the Bosporus, which, since its founding as Byzantium in the 7th century BC and later under the name Constantinople, has been a cultural and political crossroads between continents. The exhibition brings together works by European artists from the 15th to the 18th centuries, which bear witness to encounters, curiosity, and fascination, but also to conflicts and projections. Through drawings, prints, and historical images, the exhibition reveals perspectives on the Ottoman Empire that oscillate between admiration, stereotyping, and political propaganda. It invites visitors to critically examine these historical visual worlds and to reconsider questions of collective identity, cultural perception, and the “Western gaze.” …
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Image above: Melchior Lorck, Süleymaniye Mosque seen from the northeast, c. 1570, woodcut on paper, 19.4 x 53.5 cm. Photo: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett/Dietmar Katz
