Istanbul Art Nouveau

Introduction

Istanbul is not the first city that comes to mind when one thinks of Art Nouveau. One finds here, nevertheless, a significant amount of outstanding buildings representative of that style. Most of these are located in Beyoğlu (Pera), the most developed and cosmopolitan district of the city at the turn of the 20th century. Some opulent Art Nouveau palaces can also be found along the Bosphorus.

Art Nouveau was introduced to Istanbul by Raimondo D’Aronco (1857-1932), an Italian architect. He was invited to the Ottoman Empire in 1893, to design the venue of the trade fair planned to be held three years later to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the accession to the throne of Sultan Abdul Hamid II. In 1894, an earthquake devastated Istanbul and cancelled the plans for the trade fair. D’Aronco was, instead, employed in the reparation works of the damaged historic monuments and was commissioned to design new buildings for both public and private use. He soon became the chief architect of the Sultan’s court, helping him realise his concept of a modern Ottoman city. In his works, D’Aronco reinterpreted the traditional Ottoman forms and fused them with the traits of Art Nouveau, especially its Italian and Austrian versions. He remained the palace architect until the fall of Abdul Hamid II in 1909.

Other notable architects of Istanbul’s Art Nouveau include Konstantinos P. Kyriakidis, Stefanos and Dimosthenis Georgiadis, Hovsep K. Aznavuryan, Aram and Isaac Caracach (Karakaş) and Léon Gurekian. Alexandre Vallaury, another very active architect at the time, also used some features of Art Nouveau in his work, but his style can be better described as eclectic rather than Art Nouveau. The same goes for the buildings commissioned by Abbas II, the Khedive (viceroy) of Egypt and Sudan, in the first decade of the 20th century (designed by different architects).

There is not much reliable information available about Istanbul Art Nouveau in English. The following travel guide has been of great help to me when mapping the Art Nouveau buildings of Istanbul: Saffet Emre Tonguç & Pat Yale, Istanbul: The Ultimate Guide, Istanbul: Boyut, 2012. Some information about the works of Raimondo D’Aronco I found in the following article: Paolo Girardelli, ‘D’Aronco: Architect to the New Society’, Cornucopia, 46, 2011, pp. 73-93.

Sites

Below I will introduce 29 Art Nouveau buildings in Istanbul. The list contains the most important examples of the style in the city, but also includes some lesser-known stuctures.

Camondo Steps | Bereketzade Medresesi Sokak, between Bankalar Caddesi, Kart Çınar Sokak & Banker Sokak, Beyoğlu | 1870s-1880s
Botter House | İstiklal Caddesi 235, Beyoğlu | Raimondo D’Aronco, 1900-1901
Mausoleum of Sheikh Zafir | Mehmet Ali Bey Sokak 14, Beşiktaş | Raimondo D’Aronco, 1905-1906
Tulip Fountain | Laleli Çeşme Sokak 2, Beyoğlu | Raimondo D’Aronco (?), 1904
Palace of Memduh Pasha | Haydar Aliyev Caddesi 21, Kireçburnu | Raimondo D’Aronco, 1903
Vlora Han | Büyük Postane Caddesi 18, Sirkeci | 1904-1905
Café Lebon (Café Markiz) | İstiklal Caddesi 172, Beyoğlu | Art Nouveau wall panels – J. A. Arnoux, 1905
Ravouna Building | İstiklal Caddesi 201, Beyoğlu | Konstantinos P. Kyriakidis (architect) & Aleksandros D. Neokosmos (Yenidünya) (interior designer), 1901-1906
Frej Apartments | Okçu Musa Caddesi 1, Beyoğlu | Konstantinos P. Kyriakidis, 1905-1906
Abuaf Apartments | Okçu Musa Caddesi 3, Beyoğlu | Stefanos & Dimosthenis Georgiadis
Meşrutiyet Caddesi 68 | Stefanos & Dimosthenis Georgiadis, 1906
Sıraselviler Caddesi 4 | I. Karagiannis, 1903
Egypt Apartments | İstiklal Caddesi 163, Beyoğlu | Hovsep K. Aznavuryan, 1905-1910
Khedive’s Mother’s Palace | Cevdet Paşa Caddesi 12, Bebek | Anton Laščak, Dimitrios Fabricius or Raimondo D’Aronco, 1902
Khedive’s Palace | Hidiv Kasrı Caddesi 1, Çubuklu | Anton Laščak & Delfo Seminati, 1907
Aznavur Passage | İstiklal Caddesi 108, Beyoğlu | Hovsep K. Aznavuryan, 1900s
İstiklal Caddesi 106
Ragıp Sarıca Pasha’s Apartments | İstiklal Caddesi 40, Beyoğlu | Aram & Isaac Caracach, early 1900s
Ferah Apartments | Mis Sokak 24, Beyoğlu | Aram & Isaac Caracach
Azaryan Apartments | Inönü Caddesi 18, Beyoğlu | Léon Gurekian, 1903-1904
Parma Apartments | Meşrutiyet Caddesi 7, Beyoğlu 1895 (?)
Meşrutiyet Caddesi 17
Asmalı Mescit Caddesi 5
İstiklal Caddesi 205 & 207
Kumbaracı Yokuşu 24
Şah Kulu Bostan Sokak 14
İstiklal Caddesi 24 & Bekar Sokak 2
Süleyman Nazif Sokak 14
Dulkadiroğulları Sokak 4

A notable building that is missing is the Island Pavilion in the inner garden of the harem of the Yıldız Palace (Raimondo D’Aronco, c. 1902). One may also want to add in the list many wooden mansions that can be found in the suburbs along the Bosphorus (e.g. Arnavutköy and Tarabya), but in my opinion those are generally, with their arabesque and floral motifs, a modern interpretation of traditional Ottoman architecture rather than a conscious attempt to emulate the European Art Nouveau. The Huber Mansion in Tarabya, possibly designed by D’Aronco in around 1906, is a famous example here.