“VEHBİ KOÇ: THE STORY OF A CENTURY” IN ISTANBUL

The exhibition, inspired by the life story of Vehbi Koç, a Monumental Figure of the Turkish Republic, will be open to visitors at the Rahmi M. Koç Museum from February 25 to March 23, 2008.

The Koç family, invited guests, and press members attended the opening of the exhibition at the Rahmi M. Koç Museum.  The exhibition, inspired by the life story of Vehbi Koç, the founder of the Koç Group, opened its doors on February 25 2008, the 12th anniversary of Vehbi Koç’s death, and was open until March 23 2008.

The exhibition emphasizes Vehbi Koç’s patriotism, his philosophy of placing the interests of his country above his own, the; “If my country exists, so do I” principle that shaped his life, and his confidence in the future of his country. The exhibition presented Vehbi Koç, a  monumental figure of the Republic, to the younger generations by depicting his ideals and trust in his country, telling the story of his life which was integrated with the young Turkish Republic, and showing the significant stepping stones that led up to what is now the Koç Group.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

The exhibition prepared by journalist Can Dündar, Assoc. Prof. Güven Sargın, and Assoc. Prof. Ayşen Savaş presented visions of social, political, and economic aspects of Turkey along with the life-story of Vehbi Koç.

The exhibits, displaying the century in 48 posters told the story of Vehbi Koç’s life intertwined and developed with the history of the republic.  The century is divided into 12 periods, symbolized by a different colour, each showing four aspects of life; the personal life of Vehbi Koç, the social scene of the period, economic events; and the politics depicted in red, yellow, green, and blue coloured posters respectively.  Archived video footage of the various periods as well as interviews with Vehbi Koç could be watched on LCD screens built into the posters.

A slideshow of Vehbi Koç pictures accompanies the visitors around the exhibition, where personal artefacts and documents of Vehbi Koç were also displayed in “The Story of a Century”.

The exhibition previously opened in Ankara in May 2006, drawing a lot of attention with the simultaneous publishing of the first volume of the book sharing the same title as the exhibition.  The much-anticipated second volume of the book will be published in the first week of March 2008.

www.vehbikocsergisi.org