1896 - 1976, Istanbul, München
Melek Lampé, Selfportrait with hat, 1941 Source: private Collection, on display at Sakip Sabanci Museum in 2024
Catalogue Cover „Volkskunst in der Türkei“ at Stadtmuseum München, 1959 Source: Stadtmuseum München, Photograph: Markus Speidel
Woman at the Podium of the old grand national assembly, 1936 Source: Istanbul Painting and Sculpture Museum
Photograph of Melek Lampé, undated Source: Doğan Paksoy Collection, on display at Sakip Sabanci Museum in 2024
Born on April 2, 1896, in Istanbul as an only child, she grew up during a time of great social and political change. In 1918, she married Haci Sofuzade Celal, with whom she had a son, Ziya. By the 1920s, she had already made a name for herself in the art scene. Her villa, known as “Villa Wohl,” became a meeting place for artists and intellectuals, and in 1924, she exhibited nude paintings for the first time— a bold endeavor in Turkey at the time.
In 1935, she made art history as the first woman to have a solo exhibition in Turkey, held in Galata. Her artistic career unfolded during a period of major upheaval: she witnessed two world wars, the end of the ottoman empire and the founding of the Republic, Atatürk’s reforms, and the country’s social transformation firsthand. These experiences shaped both her work and her perspective on art and society.
After her husband passed away in 1946, she continued her career and gained international recognition, residing in Geneva for a while. Ten years later she married her doctor Arno Eduard Lampé, who she had met for the first time in 1922. After the military coup in 1960 her permanent residence became Munich. In 1959, she participated in the exhibition “Folk Art of Turkey” at the Munich City Museum, where she presented her works. Her final solo exhibition took place in 1964.
While she was a successful artist in Turkey, her artistic achievements were virtually unknown in Germany and remained untold in retrospectives in the 1980s. In Germany she witnessed another historical shift—the arrival of the first guest workers, marking a new phase of social transformation in Germany.
She passed away on September 15, 1976, in Munich and was buried in the muslim area of the Waldfriedhof cemetery.
Her story has often been overlooked in certain areas. When told in Turkey, little is said about her impact in Germany, and the reverse is equally true. At the TAM Museum, we aim to share her story with a broader perspective, highlighting the connections and influence across both cultures.