Observer’s Guide to the Best Art in Istanbul

There are several standard sites you see when in Istanbul. The big mosques and Grand Bazaar. Taksim, the bridges, and no shortage of historic architecture. Galata and hammam. You eat kebab, and—if you’re wise—extraordinary quantities of baklava. The city’s contemporary art scene, however, tends to go overlooked, even though Istanbul now boasts an impressive museum in addition to the slew of great galleries and other random art encounters scattered across town.

I’ve spent a lot of time in Istanbul over the past decade...