Ottoman minister's caricatures exhibited for first time in Istanbul

The caricature album of the late 19th century Ottoman bureaucrat and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Franko Kusa Bey, who was also a governor general and a playful caricaturist, is being exhibited for the first time at the Koç University Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations (ANAMED).

"The Characters of Yusuf Franko: An Ottoman Bureaucrat's Caricatures" displays the caricatures that Yusuf Franko compiled in an album from 1884 to 1896 that interact with the European caricature tradition. 
The exhibition is curated by Bahattin Öztuncay and designed by Yeşim Demir Pröhl. Mehmet Kentel is the consultant and the scripter of the exhibition. 

Speaking to state-run Anadolu Agency, Kentel said the exhibition in Istanbul was made up of six sections. 
"The first is the family section. One can see the story of Yusuf Franko and his family. It is the section where we open up the connections between Lebanon and Beyoğlu. The second section is the caricature section. We address issues like how the art of caricatures developed in Europe and how they came to the Ottoman Empire. The third section is a kind of entrance to Beyoğlu, addressing why his caricatures came together in Beyoğlu and what was happening in Beyoğlu in the 19th century. The fourth section explains how Beyoğlu turned into a diplomatic venue, and brings together families drawn by Yusuf Franko," Kentel said. 

The fifth section is about Beyoğlu becoming a culture and arts center, while the last section is about poorer classes who were excluded from Beyoğlu and had to leave as it developed, he added. 

One of the most striking works in the exhibition is the "social network map," featuring relations between Franko's characters, their positions and collaborations.