He began painting at the age of 16 in Bursa Prison as a student of Nazim Hikmet. The museum, featuring paintings by Ibrahim Balaban, one of Nazim Hikmet's fellow prisoners, opened to visitors on September 7, 2018. The museum displays Balaban's unique style and his personal belongings, contributing significantly to Turkish art.
The museum was opened on October 8, 2018, with the participation of Balaban, as a result of the restoration of an old two-story Tekirdag house located on Sefa Street in Ertugrul Neighborhood by the Suleymanpasa Municipality. Ibrahim Balaban, a multifaceted personality in the fields of painting and literature, was born in 1921 in Sec Village, Orhangazi district of Bursa. After finishing primary school, he was involved in farming and hunting in the village. Balaban's awareness of literature and painting began with his father being the village headman and the books brought from the community center for the villagers to read being collected in their own homes.
Balaban, who first encountered prison in 1937 for the crime of tobacco smuggling, was released in 1941 and re-entered prison in 1942. In his second prison sentence, Balaban met the poet Nazim Hikmet Ran, and this event became a turning point in his life. Nazim Hikmet Ran, who was a painter as well as a poet, painted Balaban's portrait. However, Balaban didn't like it and painted Nazim's portrait in return. Thus, a master-apprentice relationship began between the two.
After meeting Nazim, Balaban, who started painting in oil in addition to charcoal drawings, also learned detailed information about art from Nazim. Balaban, who had many exhibitions in Turkey and abroad, as well as his own books, passed away in Istanbul on June 9, 2019.
The Ibrahim Balaban Museum consists of two sections. The first section, located on the ground floor of the museum, displays the charcoal drawings that the painter Balaban made for his grandchildren, his books, and personal belongings such as his typewriter. The second section, located on the upper floor of the museum, displays the oil paintings that Balaban donated to the municipality. Paintings by Balaban titled "In Front of the Hospital," "Children Plowing and Gathering Fruit," and "Nightmare," as well as portraits of Nazim Hikmet drawn by Balaban, Balaban's prints, Nazim Hikmet's own portrait of Aynaci Yusuf, Balaban's family portraits, and reliefs are among the works exhibited in the museum.
