Archive for November 13th, 2008

The Tutmania of the 70’s had a charm all its own, with such products as pyramid power hats, which allegedly tapped into the power that would converge on the triangular shape, and t-shirts adorned with the words “Keep Your Hands Off My Tuts.”  All told, 8 ½ million Americans visited the exhibit between 1976 and 1978, and countless others in Europe.

This latest exhibit, ‘Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharoahs,” strives very hard to make the Tut magic work again, presumably to raise the profile of the Dallas Museum of Art, as well as to generate what must be a considerable amount of revenue, given the unprecedentedly high (in my experience) ticket prices.  Generally speaking, the hype delivers on its promises. Entry into the elaborately decorated exhibit halls begins with a 90 second film narrated by (who else?) Omar Sharif. From there, one can see an impressive array of objects, both from Tut’s tomb, and those of his immediate predecessors. There is a bust of Nefertiti, looking as hot as ever, as well as the gilded coffin of Tjrya, the great-grandmother of Tut. We are also privileged to see a colossal head of Tut’s Sun-worshipping father Akhnaten, whom Freud believed was Moses’ primary influence in the creation of Hebraic ethical monotheism (Freud could definitely be a bit of a quack at times).

There is an eerie thrill upon seeing some of the more intimate items in the collections.  There is, for example, a crown which adorned the mummy. Its sturdy construction has led archaeologists to conclude that it was probably used by the Pharaoh during his lifetime. I don’t know about you, but coming into direct contact with the crown of an Egyptian pharaoh sends tingles down my spine! Remarkably elegant as well is a headrest of blue glass that is as ample a tribute to Egyptian craftsmanship as one could hope to find.

To sum up, the exhibit is extremely well-designed, and a well worth attending, especially if you have no reasonable chance to visit Egypt at some time in the future. The only real drawback is the exorbitant price of admission.  As usual, the exhibition exits straight into a gift shop of massive proportions, with Tut items to suit every budget, from pencils all the way up to $3000 reproductions of Egyptian jewelry (do people really buy that sort of thing?). My personal favorite is the Tut tissue box holder, whose opening is at the nose of boy king’s mask. This seems to be an allusion to the method Egyptian mummifiers would use to remove the deceased’s brains: hooks through the nostrils.

One word of warning: the golden mummy case that is depicted extensively in the promotional materials is NOT in the exhibit. That privilege goes to Atlanta, where they are having a concurrent Tut exhibition of their own. Some people get all the luck!