The Purest Form of Reality: Robert Capa Exhibition Extended at Ara Güler Museum Until April

Imagine an exhibition that does not emerge from the dusty shelves of photographic history, but flows directly from the raw core of life—from trenches, streets, and humanity in its most naked state. Ara Güler Museum, in collaboration with the Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center, has extended the exhibition “Robert Capa | The Real Thing Is the Best Photograph” until April 5, 2026, due to overwhelming interest. This extension announcement feels like a gift for those in Istanbul’s cultural-art traffic who want to slow down, savor, and sink deeply into the experience. The world of Robert Capa—one of the 20th century’s greatest visual witnesses—now continues to breathe the same air as Ara Güler’s legacy under the same roof.

So why should you definitely add this exhibition to your calendar? Because Capa was not merely a war photographer; he was a narrator who paid the price for chasing truth, famously declaring: “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” This selection spans from the birth of a legend to his tragic end, while also taking us to unknown frames of Turkey in the 1940s.

From Trotsky to Indochina: Beyond a Photographer, a Persona

The exhibition opens with Capa’s (real name Endre Friedmann) first professional work: a photograph of Leon Trotsky taken in Copenhagen in 1932. This beginning marks not only the start of a career but also the visual record of moments that changed world history. The viewer witnesses Capa’s shutter clicking from the Spanish Civil War to the iconic moments of World War II, all the way to his tragic final journey in 1954 Indochina, ended by the mine he stepped on.

The exhibition’s title comes from Capa’s own aphorism summarizing his photographic philosophy: “The real thing is the best photograph.” This sentence underlines his commitment to capturing the moment in all its harshness and grace, far removed from fabrication. As you wander among the museum walls, you can trace step by step how a photographer became a “persona” and how his visual language matured with mastery.

Turkey in 1946: An Eighty-Year Time Journey

Perhaps the most exciting and locally resonant section of the exhibition is the special selection of 37 frames from Robert Capa’s visit to Turkey in 1946. Arriving for the March of Time newsreel series, Capa captured a wide spectrum through his viewfinder: the daily hustle of Istanbul, Ankara’s period-specific modern architecture, rural Anatolian landscapes, and human portraits.

These silver gelatin prints, exactly eighty years old, offer a unique visual archive of Turkey’s social and cultural atmosphere at the time. Interwoven with the meticulous care of Ara Güler’s own archive, this section also allows for a silent comparison of how two master figures looked at the same geography at different moments in time.

A Modern Encounter in the Historic Bomonti Factory

Realized under Doğuş Group’s vision, Ara Güler Museum succeeds in building an international bridge with this exhibition. The fruitful dialogue that began with the Capa Center in Budapest has been further strengthened by the support of the Istanbul Hungarian Cultural Institute. Situated in the center of the city yet outside the noise, Yapı Kredi bomontiada provides the perfect atmosphere for this retrospective.

Running until April 5, 2026, this journey once again proves that photographic art is not merely a technique—it is a way of life and bearing witness. If you want to spend a day full of a little nostalgia, a lot of inspiration, and the pursuit of truth, turn your route toward this historic corner of Şişli.

All exhibition details and visiting information are available at the Ara Güler Museum website. The heat rising in the Boiler Room will reach its peak by the end of March!