Türkiye's foreign trade in artworks, collectibles and antiques totaled $117.5 million between 2020 and September 2023.
In addition to commercial activity, interest in artworks, antiques and collectibles is also boosting economic activity in the sector. Activities in the sector continue to expand both nationally and internationally.
The art market's contribution to the economy
Turgay Artam, chairman of the board of Artam Antik AŞ, said the global art market has an annual volume of more than $20 billion. Artam said Türkiye's total annual art market was estimated to be worth more than $200 million.
Aziz Alçiçek, founder of Müzayede. App, said auctions gained significant momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic. Alçiçek noted that there are 20,000 auction websites in the United Kingdom, compared with 600 in Türkiye, and said online auctions are growing rapidly.
From medicine to antiques
Fulya Akyıldız, an antiques dealer from Ankara, is preparing to mark 30 years in the antiques business, which she entered after working as a doctor. Akyıldız said she had collected antiques as a hobby since she was 15.
Akyıldız graduated from Ankara University's Faculty of Medicine in 1984 and continued to pursue her interest in antiques. Saying that her hobby gradually took precedence, Akyıldız said she left medicine in 1995 and entered the sector.
Antique auctions in Odunpazarı
Antique auctions are held five days a week at some cafés in Eskişehir's historic Odunpazarı district. The area, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 2012, contains numerous buildings from the Seljuk, Ottoman and Republican periods.
The auctions begin in the evening at cafés among the historic houses and continue until late hours. Around 100 antique enthusiasts attend these gatherings.
