The Metropolitan Museum of Art will present a major exhibition titled "Orientalism: Between Fact and Fantasy" from June 12, 2026, to February 28, 2027, examining 19th-century representations of the “East” through art, colonialism, and modernization. The show brings together about 180 works, including paintings, drawings, photographs, and objects, and notably features Ottoman artist Osman Hamdi Bey alongside Western Orientalist painters like Jean-Léon Gérôme. It is the first Met exhibition centered specifically on Orientalism, organized jointly by the Department of European Paintings and the Department of Islamic Art. Separately, a selection of Hamdi Bey’s works is currently on view at the Pera Museum in Istanbul, operated by the Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation.
The exhibition matters because it offers a rare reassessment of Orientalist art by including an internal Ottoman perspective through Osman Hamdi Bey, a complex figure who depicted modern, cosmopolitan life in the Ottoman Empire and serves as a counterpoint to stereotypical Western portrayals. By positioning Hamdi Bey within both European and Ottoman visual traditions, the Met challenges conventional narratives and highlights the role of non-Western artists in shaping art history. This show also underscores ongoing scholarly interest in decolonizing museum collections and expanding the canon beyond Eurocentric frameworks, making it significant for both art historians and general audiences.