Baksı Museum

The Baksı Museum stands near the Black Sea, 45km from Bayburt on a hilltop overlooking the Çoruh Valley. Rising in what used to be called Baksı and is now the village of Bayraktar, this unusual museum offers contemporary art and traditional handicrafts side by side under one roof.

Covering 30 hectares with its exhibition halls, workshops, conference hall, library and guest houses, the Baksı Museum sprouted in the year 2000 in the mind of Hüsamettin Koçan, an artist and educationalist born in Bayburt. To make this idea a reality a foundation was established in 2005. Thanks to the contribution of many volunteers, especially artists, over the years the museum became a truly social project, and after a decade’s odyssey was finally completed in the year 2010, having received no financial support from the government at any time along the way.

The Baksı Museum brings together a high-quality contemporary art collection made up of works by leading artists, alongside a collection of folk paintings and original examples of local handicrafts. The purpose of the museum is to create an original center of cultural interaction involving traditional and contemporary arts for the benefit of artists and researchers, to revive a cultural environment shattered by migration, and to contribute toward the sustainability of the cultural memory.

Also among the aims of the Baksı Museum is using art to breathe life into Bayburt, which is one of Turkey's regions most heavily impacted due to loss of population through migration, and to stimulate the economic life of the region.

Exhibitions:
Contemporary Art Exhibition:
For this section plans call for a group of artists to be guests in the region every year, with the works they produce to make up the following year’s exhibition. At the end of a year the works exhibited will be put on permanent display in the warehouse-museum. The artists in this section will represent a broad spectrum from various disciplines.

Ethnographic Exhibitions:
The collection of folk paintings has been put together by Hüsamettin Koçan over the years, and consists of rich products from the tradition of folk painting. Under-glass paintings, lithographs, oil paint on paper and embroidery reflect the rich memory in this area.

The Library:
The books in the Baksı Museum number some ten thousand, with the goal being to enrich this collection still further through donations. The publications represent four major themes:
•Art history
•Folklore
•Turkish and foreign artists
•Museum and gallery catalogs


BAYBURT
Bayburt is on the historic Silk Road which links the Black Sea region to Eastern Anatolia. As it lies between Gümüşhane and Erzurum, transportation to Bayburt is mainly by highway. However, the airports of Erzurum and Trabzon facilitate access to Bayburt from all parts of Turkey. Bayburt is a 1.5-hours' drive from the Erzurum airport and a 2.5-hours' drive from the Trabzon airport.

Address:
Bayraktar Village, Bayburt
Tel: (458) 247 34 38
website: www.baksi.org

Visiting Hours
Tuesday – Sunday: 10.00-18.00
Closed Mondays
The Baksı Museum is closed every year on January 1st and on the first day of religious holidays.

Would you like to add your comment about this article? Click here!

Editor's Picks

Trattoria da Rosario Trattoria da Rosario is a small but special Italian restaurant hidden amongst the trees in Koşuyolu, Kadıköy. more...

Antalya Antalya, one of the most breath-taking places of Turkey, because of its spectacular location... more...

Traveling by Bus Every corner of Turkey can be reached from the bus station, or Otogar as it is called here. more...

Best of windsurf spots Recently the number of beaches providing windsurfing facilities has increased and shores are embellished with colorful surf.. more...

Anatolian Civilizations Museum The museum is located southeast of Ankara Citadel and is composed of two Ottoman Buildings. more...

Hamams in Ankara Would you like to take a bath in Karacabey Hamam of 15th century or Şengül Hamam of 18th century? more...

Latest Articles