For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
January 18, 2008

Remarks by Mrs. Bush and Wife of Turkish Ambassador, Mrs. Fatma Gulgun Sensoy After Tour of Contemporary Turkish Painting Exhibit
Federal Reserve Building
Washington, D.C.

Photos

11:53 A.M. EST

MRS. BUSH: Well, I want to thank the Chairman very much for letting us come do this tour. And I especially want to congratulate Ambassador and Mrs. Sensoy on this terrific show from the Central Bank of Turkey. Some of you may not know that nearly every agency has either their own collection of art or they have -- many of them have -- borrow art or show art from other countries.

And I'm especially happy to be here at this show of contemporary Turkish art. Last week President Gul was in town -- Prime Minister Gul was in town, and President Erdogan was here -- Prime Minister Erdogan was here, the week right before Christmas. So President Bush met with both of those Turkish leaders, and I had the chance to meet with the spouses of those Turkish leaders.

So this is sort of the follow-up on that, to have the chance to be with the Ambassador and Mrs. Sensoy to see this Turkish art.

I want to thank the curator here, Mr. Phillips. Thank you for giving us the tour. And Chairman, thank you very, very much. Not only is it a very interesting collection to see, this Turkish contemporary art, but it's also such a magnificent building to have the chance to visit, the Federal Reserve Building.

Thanks, everyone. Thank you, Mrs. Sensoy.

MRS. SENSOY: We are very pleased at this exhibition from the Central Bank of Turkey collection. Has attracted so much attention and recognition. We are further encouraged to bring more works from contemporary Turkish artists to the American audiences, in this media or in other art forms, in future years.

I want to thank, once again, the Central Bank of Turkey and the Federal Reserve System for making this wonderful cultural event between our two friendly nations possible, particularly in this most magnificent building.

Your presence here today, First Lady, has not only honored us, but has also added a unique touch to the success of this exhibition. Thank you very much.

MRS. BUSH: Thank you so much. It's a beautiful exhibition. Thank you very much. Thanks so much. And thank you to the Central Bank of Turkey as well for sharing these great works out of their collection.

Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman.

END 11:56 A.M. EST