ISTANBUL.- Miart Gallery London has officially inaugurated two new venues in Istanbul with the largest exhibition to date of Lorenzo Quinn. The globally acclaimed sculptor–best known for his epic sculpture displayed on the Canale Grande during la Biennale Venezia in 2021–is exhibiting 80 artworks–including sculptures and paintings–across two new Miart Gallery exhibition spaces in Istanbul - Miart Gallery Istanbul, located at Four Seasons Residences, Etiler, and Miart Gallery Bosphorus, inside the iconic Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus. Lorenzo Quinn: The New Age of Bronze opened at Miart Gallery Istanbul on 5th May and runs until 30th July 2025.

Acclaimed as one of the most dynamic cultural institutions in Europe, Miart Gallery London has embarked on a strategic international expansion with the landmark Lorenzo Quinn. The artist, whose work has been installed in public spaces from Venice to Doha, brings together 80 sculptures for this highly anticipated exhibition—his first of this scale in Turkey.

Lorenzo Quinn commented on the exhibition with Miart Gallery in Istanbul: “Istanbul has so many beautiful locations suitable for public art. Dolmabahçe Palace and the Atatürk Cultural Center plaza are at the top of my list. Art is not only aesthetic—it’s about empathy, solidarity, and reaching across divides.”

He also reflected on the transformative power of art: “During the COVID period, I wanted to donate blood, but couldn’t due to medication. I said, ‘I’m an artist—I’ll create a work with it.’ That piece (“Building Bridges”) became a symbol of fragility and compassion. Proceeds were donated to Doctors Without Borders.”

Lorenzo Quinn’s work appears in many private collections throughout the world and has been exhibited internationally throughout the past two decades. Among his commissions is the ‘Tree of Life’, produced for the United Nations and issued by the organisation as a stamp in 1993. The following year the Vatican engaged him to sculpt a likeness of St Anthony for the Basilica del Santo in Padua, in commemoration of the 800th anniversary of the saint’s birth; the sculpture was blessed by the pope in St Peter’s Square, Rome, in front of a crowd of 35,000.

Quinn received worldwide critical acclaim in 2019 for his sculpture Building Bridges at the 58th Venice Biennale. Building Bridgeswas a striking symbol of unity and connection featuring six pairs of colossal hands, each representing key virtues essential for global harmony: Friendship, Faith, Help, Love, Hope, and Wisdom. These hands, crafted with Quinn’s signature attention to the human form, reached out in a powerful visual statement about the potential for collaboration and understanding across cultures. The installation not only engaged with Venice’s legacy but also reinforced Quinn’s belief in the transformative power of human connection to bridge divides and build a more unified world. Sculptures featuring Quinn’s recurring symbol of hands connecting as a metaphor for collaboration and cultural exchange, can be found in the exhibition at Miart Gallery Istanbul and the gallery is in advanced discussions with Quinn about bringing the monumental “Building Bridges” sculpture to Istanbul.