“˜Tut’ fascinates despite theatrics

The Egyptian name “Tutankhamun” translates to
“an image of the living God,” and indeed, divinity and
power cannot help but emanate from his iconic gold image visible on
billboards and advertisements all over the city.

LACMA’s “Tutankahmun and the Golden Age of the
Pharaohs” exhibit boasts 114 Egyptian artifacts, with about
50 from Tut’s tomb and many which have never been displayed
outside of Egypt until now. It will run daily through Nov. 15.

Although the exhibit lacks the sheer density of pieces on
display at other museums such as New York’s Metropolitan
Museum of Art, it displays some beautiful artifacts, from shabtis
““ traditional miniature figures included in tombs for
symbolic rituals of the afterlife ““ to canopic jars, which
house the dried internal organs of mummified people.

LACMA has sold an unprecedented number of tickets to the
exhibit, and it’s not hard to figure out why museum-goers
can’t get enough of King Tut. The Tutankhamun exhibit is
extremely accessible to everyone in its audience, continuously
outlining a broad overview of Egyptian history, culture and
geography.

This undoubtedly helps novices understand the objects
they’re looking at, but may be too condescending or
rudimentary for those who are already familiar with the basic
tenets of Egyptian art and life.

At times, the exhibit becomes too theatrical for an art museum.
After waiting in an endless series of lines, attendees finally
think they’re about to enter the exhibit, only to be
subsequently ushered into a makeshift movie theater where they must
watch a five-minute introductory clip on the story of Tutankhamun.
This tactic may help cut down on crowd control, but it leaves
museum-goers with the initial feeling that they cannot go through
the exhibit at their own pace.

Another brief film closes out the exhibit ““ a sensational,
melodramatic clip that tries to articulate an explanation for King
Tut’s death. Maybe art museums feel that they must cater to
an increasingly media-driven audience, but the films simply felt
out of place in a respected art museum such as LACMA.

These qualms aside, the exhibit as a whole is interesting, even
engrossing at times, especially when it takes pains to focus on art
rather than geographical maps or speculations. Curators try to ease
the attendees’ ability to read about each object amid a sea
of people by including information placards at the top and bottom
of each artifact. Even with these precautions, it is much more
feasible to maneuver through the exhibit while listening to Omar
Sharif’s audio headset tour, full of anecdotes and historical
facts.

One can’t help but marvel at the detailed engravings of
some of the pieces, such as the inlaid pectoral of Tutankahamun and
Tjuya’s gilded coffin. Surprisingly many of the most
impressive pieces are not from Tut’s tomb at all, but instead
come from the tombs of other, less notorious rulers.

The gift shop contains some comprehensive books and photo
collections, which are largely overshadowed by shamelessly
commercial offerings such as King Tut dolls, the card game
“Old Mummy,” and boxes of See’s Candy, “the
official candy of King Tut.”

The exhibit’s real gems instead are found in the
neighboring Boone’s Children’s Gallery, where kids and
adults alike can become Egyptian scribes by coloring in a wall
mural and writing their names in hieroglyphics, uncover artifacts
from the sand with the tools of an archaeologist, and make beaded
amulets for a mummy.

This gallery, unlike the exhibit itself, is free to everyone,
and truly inspires its visitors to become actively involved in
exploring the mysterious world of King Tut.

-Natalie Tate