Rediscovering an artist and collector in Turkey and Germany
1896 -1976, Istanbul,Paris, Geneva, Münich
1896 -1976, Istanbul,Paris, Geneva, Münich
Melek Lampé, Self portrait, 1941 - Private Collection
Catalogue Cover „Volkskunst der Türkei – Sammlung Melek Lampé im Münchner Stadtmuseum“ 1959 - Photo: Dr. Markus Speidl
Painting by Melek Celâl, „Woman taking the floor at the old grand national assembly, 1936, oil on canvas 36 x 48.5cm - Istanbul Painting and Sculpture Museum
Photograph of Melek Lampé, undated Source: Doğan Paksoy Collection, on display at Sakip Sabanci Museum in 2024
Melek Celâl, her husband Sofuzade Celâl Bey, and their son Ziya in Munich, probably around 1922 - Photo: Franz Grainer, München Source: Doğan Paksoy Archive.
Portrait of Arno E. Lampé, 1959, painted by Melek Lampé in Munich - Photo: City Archive of Munich
Oya collected by Melek Lampé and donated to the city museum of Munich in 1962 - Photo: 2025, TAM Museum
At TAM Museum, we highlight stories that cross geographical, cultural, and historical borders.
Melek Lampé’s life is one such story—a pioneering feminist artist in 1920s–30s Turkey, whose life after her emigration in the 1950’s to Germany remains largely overlooked.
Becoming the Artist Melek
Born in Istanbul in 1896, Melek Lampé (in Turkey known as Melek Celal Sofu, after her first husband) grew up during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the birth of the Republic of Turkey. As a young artist, she challenged social norms—hosting intellectual gatherings at her home “Villa Wohl,” and in 1924, exhibiting nude paintings. In 1935, she became the first woman to hold a solo exhibition in Turkey and first to advocate for cultural heritage and urban development—marking a milestone not just for art, but for women’s visibility in public life.
Melek's gift to Munich
But Melek’s story did not end at national borders. After her husband’s death, she moved first to Geneva, then to Munich, where she married the German doctor Arno Eduard Lampé. While continuing her artistic work, she also promoted the appreciation of Anatolian handicrafts as exceptional works of art. In 1959, she presented her private collection on Folk Art of Turkey at the Munich City Museum; from 1962 onwards, she donated these pieces to the museum’s permanent collection. Yet despite these contributions, her work has remained largely overlooked in Germany—especially her identity as an artist.
Beyond “Gastarbeiter”
She lived in Munich during another major turning point: the arrival of Turkish guest workers in the 1960s. She witnessed a new chapter of migration take shape, though how it resonated with her own journey remains unknown.
Melek Lampé passed away in 1976 and was laid to rest in Munich’s Waldfriedhof. In both Turkey and Germany, parts of her story have faded from memory, and her former grave has since disappeared.
At TAM Museum, we strive to uncover forgotten histories and highlight overlooked perspectives on the diverse migration movements from Turkey—before, during, and after the major labor migrations.
Sources:
A forgotten woman of the republic – the many ways of Melek Celâl, Exhibition Catalogue Sakip Sabanci Museum, 26.12.2023 – 28.4.2024