“Lumina: The Art of Color and Light,” the first comprehensive exhibition presented as part of the five-year collaboration between Arkas Art and Centre Pompidou, has opened at the Lucien Arkas Art Center. Bringing together 83 works selected from Centre Pompidou collection, the exhibition traces the evolution of color and light in art through works by pioneers of modern and contemporary art, including Georges Braque, Vassily Kandinsky, Gerhard Richter, Joan Mitchell, Bridget Riley, and Victor Vasarely. Curated by Anna Hiddleston and Noémie Fillon, the exhibition will remain on view until February 14, 2027.
Launching a new chapter in the collaboration between Arkas Art and Centre Pompidou in İzmir, “Lumina: The Art of Color and Light / Lumina: Renk ve Işık Sanatı” explores how artists’s engagement with color and light has evolved from the early 20th century to the 1970s. From Fauvism to the new visual world created by the age of electricity, through explorations of synesthesia and photography, to Color Field and Op Art, the exhibition traces how color gradually freed itself from representing the visible world to become an autonomous perceptual experience. Following this journey from pigment to light, and from canvas into space, the exhibition examines how artists have increasingly made the act of seeing itself the subject of their work.
The exhibition marks the first major step in the long-term collaboration between Arkas Art and Centre Pompidou, spanning 2026–2031. As part of the collaboration, the Lucien Arkas Art Center will host exhibitions drawn from Centre Pompidou collection over a five-year period. Conceived across five thematic seasons, the program will present a total of 10 exhibitions, with two exhibitions each year, to art lovers in İzmir.
“An Exhibition for Türkiye, Not Just İzmir”
Prior to the opening of the exhibition, a press conference was held at the Lucien Arkas Art Center on September 25. Speaking about the significance of the collaboration for İzmir and Arkas Art, Lucien Arkas, Chairman of the Board of Arkas Holding, said:
“In April, we opened the Lucien Arkas Art Center, our seventh art destination. Under the Arkas Art & Centre Pompidou collaboration, this center will host a total of 10 exhibitions over five years, with two exhibitions each year. We are often described as being devoted to classical art, but this time we made a change and brought one of the finest selections of contemporary art. We owe this to Mr. Laurent Le Bon, President of Centre Pompidou. It is extremely valuable to have such a powerful collection, one of the world’s most important collections of modern and contemporary art from Centre Pompidou, here in İzmir. Art cannot be the property of a single city; art belongs to everyone. This exhibition is not İzmir’s exhibition, but Türkiye’s. We are very happy to have provided visitors with an opportunity to engage with contemporary art and to have sparked that curiosity in them.”
Reflecting on the long-term partnership with Arkas Art, Laurent Le Bon, President of Centre Pompidou, said:
“Lumina: The Art of Color and Light” opens our first exhibition season, setting the tone for our ambitious and remarkable partnership. It is especially significant that Lumina exhibition is held in İzmir, because İzmir is light, İzmir is color. And the brightest star of Centre Pompidou is here in İzmir. We are thrilled to share these masterpieces with both national and international audiences and are deeply grateful for the fruitful collaboration between the teams of Arkas Art and Centre Pompidou.”
French Consul General in Istanbul Nadia Fanton emphasized the cultural cooperation between France and Türkiye, stating: “Today is a very important day for cultural cooperation and friendship between France and Türkiye, as we gather here for the opening of a magnificent exhibition. I am delighted that the collections of Centre Pompidou will be exhibited in İzmir. Beautiful İzmir is the right place to host such a large number of works. We owe this French cultural season, which will continue in İzmir over the next five years, to one man. A visionary, passionate, and determined man who deeply loves art, Türkiye, and France. I would like to thank dear Lucien Arkas for his contributions to French-Turkish friendship.”
The Transformation of Color and Light in Modern Art
Curated by Anna Hiddleston and Noémie Fillon, Lumina: The Art of Color and Light, invites viewers to consider how vision is never passive, but continually shaped by the shifting interplay of light, color and the eye through seven sections.
The show opens with Fauvism’s endeavors to capture the golden hues of Mediterranean light through the innovative use of vibrant color. Shadows become blue, red and green; light emerges directly from the contrast between colors. Masterpieces by Georges Braque, André Derain, and Maurice de Vlaminck, contrast with the softer tones of Albert Marquet’s maritime renditions.
From the 17th century onwards, theories of color have oscillated between two influential perspectives: Isaac Newton’s demonstration that white light contains a measurable spectrum, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s insistence that color emerges through human perception, imbued with emotional and psychological resonance. Within this tension, artists gradually shifted from representing light to engaging directly with its effects.
Electric Light Also Transformed Art
The advent of electric light at the turn of the twentieth century profoundly transformed both urban experience and artistic practice. Natalia Goncharova’s 1913 work La Lampe électrique translates the sharp, fragmented visual world created by artificial light into painting, while Luigi Russolo’s work Automobile in corsa conveys the speed, machinery, and rhythm of the modern city through color and movement. Fernand Léger, František Kupka, and Vassily Kandinsky, meanwhile, trace new connections between color and music.
The boundaries between sight and sound—questioned by many artists during this period—form another key strand of the exhibition. As research into synesthesia brings color and music closer together, art moves beyond a purely visual experience. In the section devoted to black and white, the contrast between the absence of light and its complete presence creates a powerful field of experimentation for photography and film. Berenice Abbott’s scientific photographs Interference Pattern and Water Waves Change Direction transform physical phenomena such as waves, vibration, and movement into an abstract visual language.
From Nature’s Light to the Autonomy of Color
Other artists reacted to these rapid technological changes with a renewed interest in the natural world. The transience of natural light, shifting skies and illuminated vistas are the focus of works such as Joan Mitchell’s La Grand Vallée, directly inspired by Monet. This monumental painting quivers with light waves of energy in vigorous brushstrokes that contrast with the bright, geometric landscapes of Etel Adnan and Shirley Jaffe.
Emerging in the second half of the twentieth century, Color Field painting marked a profound shift in the status of color. Turning away from the gestural intensity of Abstract Expressionism, artists embraced flatness, clarity and expansive planes of saturated hue, enabled in part by the advent of acrylic paint. Rooted in an exploration of perception, Op Art (Optical Art) transforms vision into an active, unstable experience. Through optical effects that generate the illusion of movement, it engages the viewer directly, activating the eye rather than relying on narrative. Among the exhibition’s key works is Gerhard Richter’s 1973 work 1024 Farben (350-3), measuring 254 × 478 centimeters. This composition brings together hundreds of color units, arranged according to a precise mathematical system combined with random chance to display every color shade the human eye can distinguish.
The exhibition includes works by artists from different generations of modern and contemporary art, including Georges Braque, Maurice de Vlaminck, Natalia Goncharova, Luigi Russolo, Fernand Léger, František Kupka, Vassily Kandinsky, Stanton Macdonald-Wright, Berenice Abbott, Joan Mitchell, Etel Adnan, Shirley Jaffe, Gerhard Richter, Richard-Paul Lohse, Kenneth Noland, Bridget Riley, Agam, Jesús Rafael Soto, and Victor Vasarely.
Speaking about the exhibition’s place in the Lucien Arkas Art Center program, Müjde Unustası, Director of Arkas Art, said:
“This exhibition is the first in our long-term collaboration with Centre Pompidou. In fact, Lucien Arkas Art Center opened its doors to visitors in April. As a precursor to the Color and Light season, we hosted two works by Sonia & Robert Delaunay from Centre Pompidou collection. Now, we are presenting a major exhibition, bringing together 83 works of art. Color and Light, our first season, is a theme that reflects İzmir exceptionally well. Our wish is for this valuable exhibition to reach visitors of all ages.”
Commenting on the exhibition’s artistic approach, Jean Luc Maeso, International Exhibitions Advisor at Arkas Art, said:
“This five-year collaboration with Centre Pompidou is a remarkable opportunity to explore, through a series of exhibitions built around diverse themes, a selection of major works from Centre Pompidou’s exceptional collection—one of the most significant and renowned collections of modern and contemporary art in the world. Lumina. The Art of Color and Light is a perfect example of what this collaboration will bring. The exhibition has been thoughtfully conceived and curated specifically for this new setting, the Lucien Arkas Art Center, offering a unique dialogue between the works and the space itself.”
Anna Hiddleston is Curator of International Projects at the Musée national d’art moderne, Centre Pompidou, said:
“Lumina: The Art of Color and Light” and the exhibitions that follow have been specially conceived for the Lucien Arkas Art Center in Izmir. This collaboration not only offers us the opportunity to reinterpret Centre Pompidou’s collection, but also to develop exhibitions around new themes, bringing together works in unexpected and original dialogues. These encounters can transform the way we look at the works, opening up new perspectives and allowing us to continually renew our research into the collection and the artists it represents. A central aspect of this approach is the dialogue between modern and contemporary art. The scenography of Lumina, designed by Jasmin Özçebi, plays an equally important role. Through a subtle interplay of color and alternating black-and-white walls, it highlights the works while transforming the way they are experienced and seen. The exhibition thus becomes not simply a presentation of the collection, but a new way of engaging with it.”
The First Comprehensive Exhibition of a Five-Year Collaboration
In addition to being a comprehensive exhibition in its own right, Lumina: The Art of Color and Light marks the starting point of the five-year collaboration between Arkas Art and Centre Pompidou. The program will unfold across five thematic seasons at the Lucien Arkas Art Center, with each season presenting two exhibitions from Centre Pompidou collection. Comprising 10 exhibitions in total, the program goes beyond simply bringing the works to İzmir, establishing a framework between the two institutions based on cultural openness, knowledge sharing, and long-term collaboration.
The partnership was first signaled when the Lucien Arkas Art Center opened in April 2026. The Center presented the selection “Sonia & Robert Delaunay: The Invention of Modern Color,” featuring two works from Centre Pompidou collection. Showcasing the approach to color, light, movement, and rhythm developed by Robert and Sonia Delaunay, the two works served as a preview of the comprehensive program set to begin in September.
The First Season, Centered on the Theme of Color and Light, Extends into 2027
The first season of the collaboration between Arkas Art and Centre Pompidou, focused on the theme of color and light, spans the 2026-2027 period.
The season presents a multidisciplinary program exploring the perceptual and emotional power of color and light across visual arts, film, music, and performance. The exhibitions are complemented by conferences and art workshops.
The second exhibition of the season, “Through Color”, will also be presented at the Lucien Arkas Art Center. Anna Hiddleston curated the selection “Sonia & Robert Delaunay: The Invention of Modern Color,” presented when the Center opened in April 2026. Together with Noémie Fillon, she is also the curator of the “Lumina: The Art of Color and Light” and “Through Color” exhibitions. Türkiye İş Sanat (Is Sanat Culture and Arts) serves as Exhibition Supporter for the 10 exhibitions to be held at the Lucien Arkas Art Center as part of the five-year collaboration between Centre Pompidou and Arkas Art. Lumina: The Art of Color and Light is presented with Turkish Cargo serving as its Official Transportation Sponsor.
The Seventh Stop on the Arkas Art Route
Opened in Bayraklı, İzmir, in April 2026, the Lucien Arkas Art Center is the seventh stop on Arkas Art’s art route extending across the city. Located at Mistral İzmir, the 2,500-square-meter center brings together 1,110 square meters of exhibition space, a conference hall, a foyer, and workshop spaces. It hosts a multifaceted arts and culture program ranging from international exhibitions to learning programs, and from screenings to cultural gatherings.
About Arkas Art
Established in İzmir in 2011, Arkas Art reflects the vision of Lucien Arkas, Chairman of the Board of Arkas Holding, to share his experience and knowledge in art and collecting with wider audiences. Through its exhibitions, collections, publications, and learning programs, Arkas Art brings artists from different periods and disciplines together with audiences. Today, it continues its activities through seven art centers located across İzmir.
About Centre Pompidou
Since 1977, Centre Pompidou has been a place of living, engaged culture—a multidisciplinary center deeply rooted in society and open to the world.
In 2025, it embarked on a true metamorphosis, allowing it to remain active and dynamic throughout its renovation and until its reopening. Through the Constellation program, the spirit of Centre Pompidou is embodied in numerous partner locations in France and abroad, including Centre Pompidou-Metz, the Grand Palais, and soon Centre Pompidou Francilien in Massy.
For the past fifteen years, Centre Pompidou has strengthened its international presence through traveling exhibitions, exceptional loans, and lasting collaborations. This approach aims to disseminate its collections, share expertise, and create dialogues between artistic scenes, while contributing to French cultural diplomacy. The opening of Centre Pompidou around the world plays a key role in this strategy. Following Malaga in 2015 and Shanghai in 2019, Seoul in May 2026 and next November in Brussels, marking an important step in the institution’s history. Centre Pompidou favors tailored and evolving collaborations, confirming its role as a key player in the global circulation of art and museum practices, as exemplified by its partnership in AlUla, where it accompanies the creation of a future contemporary art museum.
Lumina: The Art of Color and Light / Lumina: Renk ve Işık Sanatı
September 26, 2026 – February 14, 2027
Lucien Arkas Art Center, İzmir
Curators: Anna Hiddleston, Curator of International Projects at Centre Pompidou; Noémie Fillon, Assistant Curator at Centre Pompidou
Organized by: Centre Pompidou and Arkas Art
Exhibition Sponsor: İş Sanat
