One photograph shows Sophia Loren raising a champagne glass beneath the admiring gaze of fans. Another captures Brigitte Bardot relaxing in the countryside in a T-shirt and jeans. These timeless moments are part of a new Istanbul exhibition featuring previously unseen photographs by Türkiye’s legendary Magnum photographer Ara Güler from the Cannes Film Festival.
Known as the “Eye of Istanbul”, Güler became famous for black-and-white images that captured the soul of the city. Between 1957 and 1967, he also documented the glamour and humanity of the Cannes Film Festival on the French Riviera.
“Beyond the award ceremonies and red carpets, Ara Güler also captured what unfolded behind the scenes”, said Cagla Sarac, art advisor for Dogus Group, which founded the Ara Güler Museum. His photographs reveal lavish parties, intimate gatherings and even a luncheon held in Sophia Loren’s honour. “The result is a remarkably complete portrait of the festival, revealing not just its glamour, but the full human story surrounding it”, she said.
The exhibition runs until October 11 at the Ara Güler Museum in Istanbul, which opened in 2018 shortly before Güler’s death on his 90th birthday. Nearby, experts continue preserving his vast archive.
Güler’s passion for cinema began early. Archive researcher Temel Yilmaz said his teenage diaries often repeated the line: “I didn’t go to school today”, because he had gone to the cinema instead.
During his career, Güler photographed figures including Salvador Dali, Alfred Hitchcock and Winston Churchill. Born into an Armenian family in Istanbul, he started at the newspaper Yeni Istanbul before gaining international recognition in 1958 when Time-Life opened a Türkiye office. He later joined Magnum after meeting renowned photographers Marc Riboud and Henri Cartier-Bresson.
Film critic Alin Tasciyan said Güler always sought authenticity over spectacle. “He really photographed the spirit of the time, the spirit of the place”, she said.
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