Miniature rooms to dazzle art lovers

The exhibition titled "Miniature Rooms Beyond the Imagination," displaying the U.S. artist Henry Kupjack’s 21 amazing miniature rooms is scheduled to open Dec. 16 at the Rahmi Koç Museum.

At a press conference held to launch the exhibition, Rahmi Koç Museum Director Ertğrul Duru said Kupjack, who is maintaining his father’s art and receiving interest in his miniature rooms, was the latest representative of the art of miniature, and did not have a successor.

Duru said, even those who visited prominent museums worldwide could see only a few of his miniature rooms, adding that his very precious 21 miniature rooms would be seen together in Istanbul.

"In a very small box, there is a world, each detail of which is handled with care and is very similar to its original version," said Duru. He also said it would be Kupjack’s largest exhibition opened in Europe and the Middle East so far.


‘Ottoman coffee house’
Duru said, with the suggestion of Rahmi Koç as the exhibition center, Kupjack spent three months preparing a miniature room reflecting an "Ottoman coffee house" and presented it to him as a gift.

The exhibition, open through March 15, 2009, will display 21 miniature rooms that are normally on display in the world’s notable museums such as Florida Naples Art Museum, Winterthur Museum, Chicago Art Institute, Boston Library and Illinois State Museum.

Kupjack expressed his pleasure at displaying his work in Istanbul and sharing them with Turks. He said Koç, who saw his work in a museum abroad, called him and following a long conversation he sent information about his miniature work. He said it was Koç’s idea to make an Ottoman coffee house, and he started working on it immediately.

Kupjack said he and his father had created 600 miniature rooms, with prices ranging from $300,000 to $600,000. He said the total value of his miniature rooms in the exhibition was $15 million.

"My aim is to make the rooms so real that you should feel that you are in the rooms when you see them," said Kupjack, adding that his long-term experience and imaginative power were very effective on his creations. Kupjack said every new room was a new challenge.


Realistic details
"The art of miniature is a tradition that has existed since the oldest civilizations. It can portray faiths and cultural perceptions. It seeks to simplify the dimensions humanity can reach in defining nature and the environment. It is important to create a realistic effect when making miniatures. The set up’s success is directly related to how much realistic detail can be portrayed in the piece. When making a miniature, the mind must bring together hundreds of photographs within the composition."