The Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (Turkish: Mimar Sinan Güzel Sanatlar Üniversitesi, or MSGSÜ) is a Turkish public university dedicated to higher education in the fine arts. It is located in the Fındıklı neighbourhood of Beyoğlu, Istanbul, Turkey.[1]
The Mimar Sinan Fine Arts High Schools in Istanbul and Ankara have no relation with the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University.[3][4]
History
On January 1, 1882, the renowned Turkish painter, art historian, archaeologist, and museum curator, Osman Hamdi Bey established the School of Fine Arts (Sanayi-i Nefise Mekteb-i Âlisi, formally Mekteb-i Sanayi-i Nefise-i Şâhâne or Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi) here. When it opened on March 2, 1883, with eight instructors and 20 students, it was Turkey's first educational institution for the fine arts and architecture.
In 1914, the school became co-educational. In 1928 it was converted from a school to an academy - the first in Turkey - and its name was changed to the State Academy of the Fine Arts (Devlet Güzel Sanatlar Akademisi). In 1969, it was renamed as the Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts (İstanbul Devlet Güzel Sanatlar Akademisi, or İDGSA), and gained administrative autonomy according to Law No. 1172 on Fine Arts Academies in Turkey.[5]
On July 20, 1982, its status was changed again, and the academy became Mimar Sinan University"(Mimar Sinan Üniversitesi) in memory of the great Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan. Finally, in December 2003, the administration of the university changed its name to the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University.
Since 1982 the institution has been providing four-year educational programmes.
Following the Academy Reform and a student occupation in 1968, Basic Design Education (Temel Sanat Eğitimi) was incorporated into the curriculum in 1969. The Basic Design Education Division was critical of the master-apprentice model and aimed to blur the distinction between handicrafts and fine arts.[2] The co-founders of this division included Altan Gürman, Ercümend Kalmık, Ali Teoman Germaner, Erkal Güngören, Özer Kabaş, and Nuri Temizsoylu, who wanted to create a Bauhaus-inspired model to enable consistency and continuity in the education that first-year students received.[5] This model aimed at encouraging students to explore, question and analyse different techniques, tools, and materials related to arts and design.
Following the 1980 coup d'état in Turkey, the administration and autonomy of universities changed, and Basic Design Education was removed from the curriculum in 1982.[5]
