Following in a tradition of groundbreaking exhibitions exploring art from world cultures, Turks: A Journey of a Thousand Years, 600-1600 is one of the most ambitious exhibitions to be presented at the RA. Funding for this exhibition has been sought from a consortium of international businesses and donors including those from Turkey and the UK. Premium sponsorship is coming from Garanti Bank, Aygaz and Corus. Further sponsorship is from Lassa Tyres, with additional support from the Friends of the Royal Academy, Royal Academy Trust, the American Associates of the Royal Academy Trust, Akkök Group of Companies, Access Industries (UK), Çolakoglu Group, Sofra and Ozer Restaurants and the Academy’s platinum patrons.
The Royal Academy receives no public funding and is entirely dependent on sponsorship, individual donors and the revenue raised from membership, ticket sales and retail. Over £795,000 has been raised through the consortium making this the most successful sponsorship campaign in the Academy’s history.
Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said:
“Turks: A Journey of a Thousand Years, 600–1600 promises to be a landmark exhibition, giving a unique insight into the extraordinary artistic legacy of the Turks. The Turkish Government is delighted to be collaborating with the Royal Academy of Arts, London on this important exhibition”.
President of the Royal Academy, Sir Nicholas Grimshaw said:
“This is the first such major exhibition at the RA since the highly popular and critically acclaimed International Exhibition of Persian Art in 1931, and continues the RA’s commitment to exploring art from world cultures. The RA is delighted to be working with these outstanding Turkish museums in order to introduce a new audience to the artistic achievements of the Turks. We are also profoundly grateful to all our sponsors and donors, including the particulalry generous contributions from our Turkish partners.”
