Walk like an Egyptian

[mommyspike]

I just got back from seeing the King Tut exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art. We lucked into a family ticket package so we got a little bit of a price break. The exhibit was good but didn't include the funeral mask that been on all the advertising. I did a little sketching in the galleries but between the people and tight rooms, I didn't do much.

Comments

[beesandbrews]

This was soooo not the Tut exhibit I remember from the first time around. The "mask" they used for the artwork was the Canopic Coffinette of Tutankamun and it was on display in Atlanta. But the giant gold funerary mask is evidently still in Egypt along with the rest of the good stuff.

[txtriffidranch]

I missed the big show in 1977, so I had high hopes for this one. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't actually angry toward the end, especially when the DMA had to have provosts telling folks that yeah, all of the advertising hypes the funeral mask but we don't have it here. As a general Egyptology exhibition, it was great, especially with the Ikhnaton material. It just also came off as a half-assed job: "We can only bring a handful of stuff out of the actual tomb, so we'll fluff it up a bit with interesting but barely related material that won't cause the tourists to throw tantrums if it's not available."

And then there was that horrible gift shop. I promise you: if Tutankhamen had any idea of some of the garbage being sold with his general likeness, especially the Kleenex box cover, he'd have asked to be cremated.

That said, I'm enjoying the DMA more and more every time I go out there. This coming Friday is the monthly Late Nights show, and I'm curious to see what's lined up this time.

[sourceoftrouble]

"plus some extra"
Good for you!!