A House Away from Home: Emigrant Artists from the Russian Empire in Istanbul

The book by Ekaterina Aygyun is dedicated to the life and works of Russian-speaking figures in the arts who were forced to emigrate from the Russian Empire after the October Revolution and settled in Constantinople. The author examines both the artistic interests of the emigrants—artists, sculptors, and photographers—and their relationships with the city on the Bosphorus.
How did artists adapt to emigration? Did they support themselves through their creativity? Who were their patrons and clients? How did they influence Constantinople, and how did it influence them? The book will be of interest to those studying the art of Russian emigration, orientalists, residents of Istanbul, and those wishing to visit this city.

Ekaterina Aygyun is a historian. She graduated from the master's program at Istanbul Bilgi University with a specialization in “History of the Ottoman Empire / Turkey.” She received a PhD in art history from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. She is the author of articles in Turkish and English about Russian-speaking emigrants in Constantinople in the 1920s.