Turkey and the Consulate General of Greece in Istanbul will host the "Blue Voyagers: The Art of Romare Bearden and Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu" exhibition from April 15 to May 17, 2015. This exhibition is co-curated by Robert O’Meally and Merve Tezcanlı İspahani and represents the final leg of a global voyage of the works of African American artist Romare Bearden’s iconic series of works based on Homer’s "The Odyssey."  The exhibit is part of a yearlong series of programs, lectures and performances inspired by Bearden’s interpretation of Homer’s classic, a staple of Columbia’s undergraduate Core Curriculum.

​Along with works from Romare Bearden's "A Black Oddyssey," the exhibition in Istanbul will feature works by the Turkish modernist Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, was instrumental in blending modern Western aesthetics with Anatolian themes. Focusing on journey as a central theme in their works, both Bearden and Eyüboğlu envisioned a "global odyssey" as a search for a new home that used the legacies of the ancient Greek civilization as a common point of reference.