'Blue Voyagers' at Istanbul's Sismanoglio Megaro

The Consulate General of Greece in Istanbul and Columbia Global Centers Turkey will host the ?Blue Voyagers: the Art of Romare Bearden and Bedri Rahmi Eyübo?lu? exhibition from April 15 to May 17 at Istanbul?s Sismanoglio Megaro.

The exhibition, co-curated by Robert O?Meally and Merve Tezcanl? ?spahani, is the final leg of a global voyage done by African American artist Romare Bearden?s iconic series of works based on Homer?s Odyssey.  

The exhibit is part of a yearlong series of programs, lectures and performances inspired by Bearden?s interpretation of Homer?s classic, a staple of Columbia?s undergraduate Core Curriculum program. 

?Romare Bearden: A Black Odyssey,? curated by Dr. Robert G. O?Meally, and Zora Neale Hurston, a professor of English and Comparative Literature, first opened at Columbia?s Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery in November 2014, accompanied by an exciting program of lectures and performances. In January 2015, an adaptation of the exhibition was shown at the Paris Center, alongside works by Henri Mattise.

Blending Western and Anatolian themes

With the works from Romare Bearden?s ?A Black Odyssey,? the exhibition in Istanbul will feature art by the renowned Turkish modernist artist Bedri Rahmi Eyübo?lu, who was instrumental in blending modern Western aesthetics with Anatolian themes. 

Focusing on the journey as a central theme in their works, both Bearden and Eyübo?lu envisioned a ?global odyssey? in the search for a new home, using the legacies of the ancient Greek civilization as a point of reference.  

What brings Bearden and Eyübo?lu together is that both artists, born in 1911, were strongly influenced by the works of Matisse and Picasso. They were also both in Paris during...