The Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW)–designed Istanbul Modern debuted on May 4 in the continent-straddling city’s historic harborside Karaköy district. Encompassing roughly 113,000 square feet, the museum is Genoa-based RPBW’s inaugural commission in Turkey. Established in 2004 as the first institution dedicated to modern and contemporary art in the country, Istanbul Modern was previously housed in another building located at the same site near Clock Tower Square and was temporarily relocated in 2018 to a landmark 19^th-century building in the Beyoğlu district while construction was underway. The new Istanbul Modern is part of a larger waterfront redevelopment scheme underway in Karaköy.

The multi-level museum includes temporary and permanent exhibition space, a library, auditorium, and more. Photo © Cemal Emden