PRESS RELEASE THE BRUSCHETTINI FOUNDATION, PALAZZO LOMELLINO ASSOCIATION, in collaboration with GENOA MUNICIPALITY: from 3 October to 14 December 2014 in Genoa, the exhibition “Art of the Ottomans, 1450 - 1600. Nature and Abstraction: a Glimpse beyond the Sublime Porte”. Hosted by the historical Nicolosio Lomellino Palace, a tour through the golden age of Ottoman art - the first of its kind in Italy - which will feature over 70 objects, among which a Qur'an owned by Mehmet II, period carpets, fine fabrics, polychrome ceramics and a selection of metal objects from the Turkish Imperial Armory. Genoa, 9th September, 2014 - From 3 October to 14 December 2014, in Genoa, the historical Palace Nicolosio Lomellino di Strada Nuova – situated in the heart of the city, in Via Garibaldi 7 – will host the exhibition “Art of the Ottomans, 1450 - 1600. Nature and Abstraction: a Glimpse beyond the Sublime Porte”, promoted by The Bruschettini Foundation for Islamic and Asian Art, the Association Palazzo Lomellino di Strada Nuova, in collaboration with Genoa Municipality. For the first time in Italy, a unique exhibition that will feature a selection of representative objects of the Ottoman artistic production, specifically referred to the period 1450 – 1600. The works will be exhibited in the halls of Lomellino Palace, which celebrates this year the 10th anniversary from its first opening to the public, enriched by the famous sixteenth-century frescoes by Italian painter Bernardo Strozzi. Curated by Bruschettini Foundation, the exhibition will accompany visitors to discover the art and the culture that characterized the period of greatest splendor of the Ottoman Empire. Over 70 objects among which notably a Qur'an owned by Mehmet II with a dedication to the king and an important ‘tuğhra’, the official signature of sultan Suleyman the Magnificent, loaned by the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin. While some of the objects have already been examined by academics, the majority of them have never been exhibited before. Among the other objects, carpets from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries conveying the exotic charm of the East, which were depicted in countless paintings by the greatest Italian and European painters, from Piero della Francesca to Hans Holbein the Younger; extraordinary examples of Iznik polychrome ceramics – one of the most imaginative and elegant clay productions in the entire Islamic ceramic scene – as well as examples of the Ottoman textile production: silks and velvets, gold and silver brocades that will astonish visitors for their variety, colour combinations, technical perfection and preciousness. Finally, a small but fine selection of arms and armour, with helmets and horse headboards, branded with the emblem of St. Irene’s Turkish Imperial Armory, a testimony of the great Ottoman Empire. The exhibition will feature objects from Italian and foreign private collections, as well as a prestigious selection loaned by museums which comprise some of the most important collections of Ottoman art outside Turkey. Among these museums, the Bargello National Museum and the Stibbert Museum in Florence, the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin (Pergamonmusem/ Museum für Islamische Kunst - Staatliche Museen zu Berlin - Preußischer Kulturbesitz) and the Museum of Ceramics in Sèvres (Cité de la céramique - Sèvres & Limoges). Genoa, as sister city of Istanbul (Beyoğlu Municipality) in 2013 with the aim of giving rise to a number of important economic and cultural events, is the perfect setting for the exhibition. Over the centuries, the city had an historical role in the economic and cultural relations between the Ottoman Empire and Europe, as attested by the ancient presence of a Genoese colony in Istanbul, documented today in the district of Galata / Pera, the current Beyoğlu Municipality.

The exhibition will have a strong explanatory component, with text panels that will introduce visitors to a little-known culture and artistic production. A room will be devoted to a video-projection produced by American researcher Walter B. Denny. The exhibition is set up by architects Luca Rolla and Alberto Bertini. Catalogues with introductory essays, focus on all the objects exhibited and full-page color illustrations will be available. A related exhibition, titled "Turquerie. Reflections of Ottoman Art in Genoa", organized by the Municipality of Genoa, will take place from 3 October 2014 until 18 January 2015 at Palazzo Bianco, in Via Garibaldi 11. The exhibition focuses on Genoa and the Ottoman world between the sixteenth and the eighteenth centuries: a path that unfolds through documents, books, fine fabrics and ceramics, sculptures and paintings that bear witness to the trade and cultural relations between the Sublime Porte and the Old Republic of Genoa. Partner of the initiative, Turkish Airlines, awarded “The Best Airline in Europe” in 2014 for the fourth time in a row. Landed in Genoa in 2011, the company has been actively engaged in the promotion of historical and cultural relations between Italy and Turkey, helping in 2013 to seal the signing of the twinning between the Municipalities of Genoa and Beyoğlu. USEFUL INFORMATION FOR THE EXHIBITION The exhibition "Art of the Ottomans, 1450 – 1600. Nature and Abstraction: a Glimpse beyond the Sublime Porte" - created by the Bruschettini Foundation for Islamic and Asian Art, in collaboration with the Association Palazzo Lomellino di Strada Nuova and Genoa Municipality - will be open from 3 October to 14 December 2014 on the first floor of Palazzo Nicolosio Lomellino (Via Garibaldi 7) in Genoa. Opening hours: from Tuesday to Friday, from 3.00 pm to 6.00 pm. Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays: from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm. School groups and workshops only in the morning by appointment, groups by appointment. Ticket prices: Full ticket - € 6.00 Group ticket - € 5.00 School groups and workshops only in the morning by appointment – Free Combined ticket for the exhibitions at Palazzo Lomellino and Palazzo Bianco - € 10.00 Information: Association Palazzo Lomellino, tel. +39 393/8246228. Catalogues with introductory essays, focus on all the objects exhibited and full-page colour illustrations will be available For further information: Palazzo Lomellino Press Office - Studio di Comunicazione Fede Gardella 335/8308666 - Paola Iacona, Chiara Moroni Tel. 010/5761700 e-mail: gardella@studiocomunicazionegardella.it