“Origin: Modernised From Ancient Turkish Motifs”: A Case Study on Hereke Sümerbank Carpet Collection in 1965

Abstract

The 1965 Sümerbank2 Carpet Collection encompasses not only many traditional and orientalist carpet weavings but also some examples that could be described as abstract and occasionally expressionist crafts by prominent artists and designers of the era, i.e. Belkıs Balpınar, Selahattin Gönenç, Orhan Çolak and Hamdi Berdi. These carpets include modernised versions of Anatolian kilim motifs, stylised renditions, and stylised depictions of picturesque Anatolian village-scape. In the catalogue, each carpet is accompanied by the respective cities they belong to, and in this catalogue, the origin of the aforementioned abstract and expressionist works are indicated as “modern” or “modernised from Ancient Turkish motifs.” So, what do these works, departing from tradition, signify, and what kind of preliminary work and socio-political environment do they represent? The study examines the influence of the Villageism movement during the period, as well as their influence on craft-base design, on Sümerbank carpets. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.