Staff Reports

Redstone Review

DENVER – The Denver Art Museum, DAM, recently opened the highly anticipated summer exhibition, Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs. It runs through Jan. 9, 2011. Featuring more than 100 treasures from the tomb of King Tut and additional ancient sites, the exhibition will make its debut and sole Rocky Mountain appearance at the DAM.

Visitors will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view more than 50 breathtaking objects from King Tut’s tomb, including the golden sandals that adorned the mummy and an intricate canopic jar that held the pharaoh’s mummified stomach.

“Tutankhamun’s magic still captures the hearts of people all over the world, even though more than 85 years have passed since the discovery of his amazing tomb,” said Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities.

Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs features objects from some of the most important rulers throughout 2,000 years of ancient Egyptian history, from the Fourth Dynasty into the Late Period (about 2,600 B.C. to 660 B.C.). Derived from a variety of contexts, including temples and royal and private tombs, many of these artifacts had never before visited the United States prior to this exhibition tour.

This spectacular collection features the largest image of King Tut ever unearthed – a ten-foot statue of the pharaoh found at the remains of the funerary temple of two of his high officials. The statue still retains much of its original paint. The exhibition follows a storyline that explores the splendor of the pharaohs, their function in both the earthly and divine worlds and what kingship meant to the Egyptian people. Visitors encounter artifacts from powerful Egyptian rulers, including Khafre, builder of the Great Sphinx and one of the pyramids at Giza; Hatshepsut, the queen who became a pharaoh; and Psusennes I, whose magnificent golden death mask will be on display.

The DAM has dedicated two expansive Hamilton Building gallery spaces to the exhibition. The final galleries are dedicated to King Tut’s tomb, including an area devoted to its discovery by British explorer Howard Carter in 1922. Visitors encounter legendary artifacts from the tomb’s antechamber, annex, treasury and burial chamber in corresponding galleries, which include the pharaoh’s golden sandals, jewelry, furniture, weaponry and statuary.

New scientific discoveries providing insight into King Tut’s legendary life and death are also brought to light. The exhibition features the first 3-D CT scans of the great king’s mummy, which were obtained as part of a landmark Egyptian research and conservation project, partially funded by the National Geographic Society.

DAM membership is the golden ticket to the best King Tut ticket price, with the added value of a year’s worth of art experiences. For more information on becoming a museum member, please visit www.denverartmuseum.org/membership. Tickets range from $15 to $30.

Every ticket buyer will be entitled to receive a King Tut Gold Card at the welcome desk, which provides special offers at partnering businesses throughout Denver, including food discounts, free gifts with purchase and other special offers and incentives. A complete list of offers and discounts can be found at www.tutgoldcard.com. DAM members may purchase King Tut exhibition tickets at www.denverartmuseum.org or by calling 720-865-5000.

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