The German artists’ group ZERO’s innovative and dynamic soul comes to İstanbul! “Countdown to the Future” at the Sakıp Sabancı Museum between September 2, 2015 – January 10, 2016.

As well as supporting the economic growth of our country, one of Akbank’s principle aims is to elevate the level of cultural and educational discourse in Turkey. Ever since the days of our early history, we have supported culture and the arts by bringing them to the masses, and fostered creativity and critical thought. Works by internationally renowned painters and sculptors like Auguste Rodin, Salvador Dali, and Anish Kapoor were brought to Turkey with the cooperation of Akbank and Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum. And now the first large-scale historical exhibition in Turkey dedicated to the landmark 20th century artists’ group ZERO comes to Istanbul.

ZERO reshaped modern art with its innovative approach, and as art aficionados worldwide slowly rediscover this singular movement in post-war German art, it is our great pleasure to bring the exhibition “Countdown to the Future” to Turkey.

The ZERO movement, which travelled through countries and was adopted internationally in its active period during the 1950s and 1960s, was initiated as a response to the desperation and the stagnancy of the art world in the aftermath of World War II, taking its name from the countdown to a rocket launch.

The ZERO Exhibition brings together over 100 works of art by the movement’s founders Heinz Mack, Otto Piene, and Günther Uecker along with the works of notable artists associated with the movement; Yves Klein, Piero Manzoni, and Lucio Fontana. We believe that ZERO will leave a lasting impression in Istanbul. We hope that this great exhibition, a collaboration with the Sakıp Sabancı Museum, will prove to be an unforgettable experience that takes all our visitors to the unique and magical world of modern art.