King Tut will be staying in Toronto for two more weeks. The Art Gallery of Ontario announced today that his departure will be delayed until May 2 due to demand for the exhibition. The shows next stop is Denver the start date of which remains unaffected. Visiting hours for the Toronto show have also been extended to accommodate the crowds.
To accommodate weekend visitors, the Gallery has extended the exhibitions hours on Friday and Saturday evenings. Visitors will now be able to purchase tickets for entry at 4:30 pm, 5:00 pm, and 5:30 pm. The King Tut galleries will remain open to 7:00 pm, said the gallery in a news release.
More than 300,000 tickets have been sold for the exhibit so far. An impressive number, but not as high as the 1979 show which drew 750,000 visitors. Thatshow featured King Tuts death mask an artefact that no longer leaves Egypt (but which has been painstakingly recreated for you in King Tut Virtual).
Strike Action at Art Gallery of Ontario
King Tuts delayed departure is coming at just the right time. Art gallery employees have voted overwhelmingly to give their union a strike mandate. The employees cite job cuts and the high pay of the gallerys CEO as reasons. 39 employees are due to be let go, said the union in a news release.
AGO CEO Matthew Teitelbaum has come under fire for earning $945,000 in salary last year. In Ontario, public sector employees who earn more than $100,000 a year have their pay disclosed in an annual online report. Toronto media have had a field day with Teitelbaum’s salary saying that heis being paid like a king.
Needless to say the union is not happy with this. “The AGOs lack of respect for their employees is highlighted by their CEO’s salary,” said OPSEU President, Smokey Thomas.
Tutankhamun: the Golden King and the Great Pharaohs will remain at the AGO until May 2nd. People who want to visit the exhibit on the weekend are being encouraged to book online at kingtut.ca.