The current exhibition includes an extensive array of more than 130 important artifacts from the tomb of Tutankhamun and other ancient Egyptian sites such as the gold diadem found on King Tut’s mummy’s head when the tomb was discovered. The exhibition will also include a selection of artifacts that are new to the traveling exhibition including an elaborate pectoral necklace that features a yellow-green carved stone of unknown origin that is thought to be millions of years old.
A collection of photographs, “Opening Tutankhamun’s Tomb: The Harry Burton Photographs” will feature 38 prints from Harry Burton, the photographer who accompanied explorer Howard Carter on the Tutankhamun expedition and documented the discoveries. Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs will remain on view at the de Young through March 28, 2010.
“San Francisco is a perfect place for King Tut,” said Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities. “I want everyone in California to know that the boy king is coming to town, and I personally invite everyone to see this great exhibition so that a new generation of people will experience the history and magic of the boy king.”
“Since a trip to Egypt is out of reach for most people, we are bringing a collection of King Tut’s exquisite treasures back to the de Young so that the Bay Area can experience the beauty of the Golden Age of ancient Egypt,” said John E. Buchanan, director of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. “The first Tut show in 1979 was one of the most popular exhibitions ever to be presented at the de Young. We look forward to providing this new educational and cultural exploration as part of our 30-year tradition of hosting exhibitions that feature ancient art and antiquities at the Fine Arts Museums.”
Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs is the latest in a long tradition of presenting exhibitions of Egyptian and Middle Eastern art and antiquities at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Previous exhibitions have included: Highlights from the Israel Antiquities Authority: The Dead Sea Scrolls and 5,000 Years of Treasures (2008), Hatshepsut: From Queen to Pharaoh (2005-2006), Eternal Egypt (2002), Pergamon: The Telephos Frieze from the Great Altar (1996), The Search for Alexander (1982), Treasures of Tutankhamun (1979) and Images for Eternity: Egyptian Art from Berkeley and Brooklyn (1975). The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco have presented 17 such exhibitions since 1975.
A portion of the proceeds generated from the world tour are being used to help preserve Egypt’s treasures, including the construction of a new museum in Cairo where antiquities will be housed. -- www.famsf.org
