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Osman Hamdi Bey
Painter, archaeologist and museum founder (1842–1910), who established the Istanbul Archaeology Museum and the Academy of Fine Arts.
Osman Hamdi Bey was born in Istanbul and turned to painting while studying law in Paris. Back home he entered state service and in 1881 became director of the Imperial Museum.
In 1882 he founded the School of Fine Arts, today's Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. Excavating the royal necropolis of Sidon, he found the famous Alexander Sarcophagus; the Istanbul Archaeology Museum, opened in 1891, was built to house such finds. He also helped draft the law banning the export of antiquities.
As a painter he depicted scenes of Ottoman life in fine detail. His best-known work, The Tortoise Trainer (1906), sold for a record price in 2004 and hangs in Istanbul's Pera Museum.
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Updated: October 2, 2026