Beymen “Golden Opulence” Exhibition, Tophane-i Amire Culture and Art Centre.

Beymen celebrates its 50th anniversary with a global project comprising an exhibition, book, and documentary that shed light on Turkey’s 500-year history. As part of this project aiming to showcase the power of luxury and craftsmanship in inspiring generations and cultures, the works exclusively designed for Beymen by world’s leading brands come together in the “Golden Opulence” exhibition at Tophane-i Amire Culture and Art Center. Curated by Laurence Benaïm, the exhibition features over 50 luxury designs from the high fashion world, including Valentino, Balmain, Dior, Givenchy, Etro, Brunello Cucinelli, Stella McCartney, Dolce&Gabbana, Zimmermann, and Victoria Beckham.

“Respecting both the present and the past, this project also celebrates cultural sustainability.”

Laurence Benaïm, the curator of the “Golden Opulence” exhibition, describes the project as follows:
“Since the first day of the project, I have been impressed by Beymen’s commitment to its cultural heritage. Beymen has positioned its robust cosmopolitan heritage, deeply rooted in the multilingual, multidimensional, and multicolored culture of these lands, at the center of its exhibitions, books, and documentary projects based on historical research. Respecting both the present and the past, this project also celebrates cultural sustainability. Offering a generous synthesis of the past and present, the project invites us to celebrate the 500 years of luxury, to immerse ourselves in it, to become one with it, and to experience and be inspired by its unique lifestyle in all its facets.”

 Beymen “Golden Opulence” Exhibition, Tophane-i Amire Culture and Art Centre.

Within the scope of this multifaceted project, which took more than two years to prepare, Beymen formed an Advisory Board consisting of scholars, art historians, curators, and authors, including Leyla Kayhan Elbirlik, Bora Keskiner, Cemal Kafadar, Deniz Erduman, Amanda Phillips, Emilie Wellfelt, Zeynep Çelik Atbaş, Emine Fetvacı, Filiz Çağlar, Gülru Necipoğlu, Gülru Tanman, Hale Tenger, Joachim Gierlichs, M. Baha Tanman, Gül İrepoğlu, Nurhan Atasoy, Serpil Bağcı, Scott Redford, and Tarkan Okçuoğlu. The data obtained from the study, conducted in-depth and encompassing objects, jewelry, motifs, and ornaments found in manuscripts that have left a mark on the 500-year history of this region, have been shared with over 50 global luxury brands shaping the fashion and design world. Inspired by this work, each of the brands designed and produced exclusive pieces for Beymen, reflecting their own identities.

Beymen “Golden Opulence” Exhibition, Tophane-i Amire Culture and Art Centre.

The “Golden Opulence” exhibition, divided into three sections with the themes of “Precious Dreams”, “Bosphorus Gardens”, and “Mineral Roundness”, is being showcased at Tophane-i Amire Culture and Art Center within Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, which has been transformed into a futuristic atmosphere by Bureau Betak, a design and production agency renowned for its remarkable projects in global fashion weeks.

Exclusively designed for Beymen by Pierpaolo Piccioli, the Creative Director of Valentino.

“I interpreted my homage to Beymen’s half-century as a gift and a dialogue. I incorporated the best of Valentino’s contemporary and historical elements—volumes, feathers, textures, colors, and identity—embellishing them with tulips, the Turkish romantic symbol. These two tulips are like two lovers chasing each other across the Bosphorus...”

Pierpaolo Piccioli, Creative Director of Valentino

Showcasing Turkey’s rich cultural heritage, the project sheds light on the inspiring world of luxury, emphasizing the traditions passed down from artisanal culture to generations and underscoring the importance of preserving these values. The works in the exhibition reflect cultural production, demonstrating to the audience the multidimensional nature of luxury. Blending Turkey’s rich cultural texture with unique and elegant details, this exhibition presents luxury not only as a product but also as an “experience.” Exclusively organized for Beymen’s 50th anniversary, the exhibition conveys the message that we should seek luxury not only in the designs but also in the stories and traces of this land’s history.

The “Golden Opulence” exhibition also features two guest artists. The digital work “In The Mind of a Designer” by the artist duo Hakan Yılmaz and Sefa “Minelauvart” Kocakalay, inspired by the pieces in the exhibition, as well as the Japanese artist Miyouki Nakajima’s exclusive Beymen design titled “Flowers” are showcased.

“Golden Opulence, 500 Years of Luxuriant Style” by Laurence Benaïm, published by Assouline, November 2023. Source: www.beymen.com

“Discovering Istanbul many years ago was a true miracle because this city surpassed all the images I had created and accumulated in my mind during my cultural education.”

Martine Assouline, Co-Founder of Assouline Publishing

With the same inspiration as the “Golden Opulence” exhibition, Beymen also presents a special book about the project with Assouline, one of the global brands in the publishing world. Martine Assouline, the Co-Founder of Assouline Publishing, expresses her feelings about the process, when the book was first proposed to her, with these words: “Discovering Istanbul many years ago was a true miracle because this city surpassed all the images I had created and accumulated in my mind during my cultural education. When Beymen proposed creating a book about the intersection of inspirations between East and West, and how Istanbul is at the heart of this rich cultural history, it was like opening a treasure trove for me. It was a publisher’s dream.”

Beymen “Golden Opulence” Exhibition, Tophane-i Amire Culture and Art Centre.

The book “Golden Opulence”, which sheds light on the history of fashion, culture, and art, was written by Laurence Benaïm, the curator of the exhibition. The book’s photographs were taken by Laziz Hamani, a photography artist who has collaborated with the world-renowned brands and fashion houses such as Cartier, Dior, Ralph Lauren, Jaeger-Lecoultre, and Louis Vuitton. You can find the “Golden Opulence” book on Beymen’s website.

The award-winning director Khadifa Wong is the director of the documentary, a collaboration between Beymen and Depo Film, dedicated to the journey of luxury on these lands. Prepared with contributions from designers, artists, architects, scholars, authors, creative directors, opinion leaders, and key figures representing unique crafts, the documentary narrates the history of luxury and its impact on life from various perspectives, exploring the meaning that luxury adds to life. The documentary is expected to be available on digital platforms soon.

Beymen “Golden Opulence” Exhibition, Tophane-i Amire Culture and Art Centre.

The “Golden Opulence” exhibition, celebrating Beymen’s history of over half a century and presenting the cultural heritage of this region to the global audience, can be visited at Tophane-i Amire Culture and Art Center until December 12, 2023.

For more information about the exhibition, please click here.