King Tutankhamun would have approved of the exclusivity of it all: members of the Denver Art Museum can now buy advance tickets at a special low price for the upcoming show opening July 1, Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs, which runs through Jan. 2, 2011.
With Egyptomania still in full swing, it’s pretty clear already that this show, hailed by the Museum’s publicity as a “Rocky Mountain exclusive” will be a blockbuster. Considering it is his Colorado “debut”, I’m sure the Boy King will be glad they’re giving first dibs to his serious fans.
“Early-bird” tickets for new or existing members are $14 for weekdays and $22 for weekend days during the run of the show. Beginning April 1, member prices increase to $20 and $22.
Tickets for the general public go on sale May 14. They will be $25 for weekdays and $30 for weekend days. Membership of the Museum costs $45 for teachers and students, $50 for individuals, and $70 for couples or families.
This exquisite exhibition will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for visitors from Denver and the Rocky Mountain region to experience the art of ancient Egypt, said Christoph Heinrich, DAM director. Our expanded campus provides us with the space and infrastructure to serve the community with a wide variety of art experiences, and we are excited to be hosting Tutankhamun.
Same Tut, Same Time, Same Continent… Different Exhibitions
Confusingly, this exhibition is one of two King Tut spectaculars doing the rounds in North America simultaneously, both sponsored by National Geographic. Both include many items never before seen in North America. The other exhibition, King Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, which has been on tour for longer, is at the de Young Museum in San Francisco until March 28, after which it will run April 23 – Jan. 2, 2011 in the New York Discovery Times Square Exposition.
The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs has been touring the continent since its landfall in Atlanta in November 2008, where record-breaking crowds gathered to see 50 objects from the tomb of Tutankhamun, including the gold sandals that adorned the mummy’s feet and an elaborately adorned canopic jar that mummified his internal organs.
The exhibition is currently busting the box office at the Art Gallery of Ontario, in Toronto, where it will remain until April 21, accompanied by an extensive series of lectures. See our preview of the Toronto exhibition here, including details and photos of many of the treasures that will be making their way to Denver.
Unlike the life-changing show in the 1970s, neither exhibitions include Tutankhamun’s golden deathmask, which is now considered to be too fragile to travel, and remains in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. For see that particular object, along with several others that are too delicate for the rough and tumble of the world tour, you will need to visit King Tut Virtual, where these objects are re-created in fantastic detail.
VIDEO: King Tut’s Death Mask on Display in Heritage Key VX
If King Tut Virtual has whetted your appetite but you can’t make it to Denver to see these incredible artifacts, check our guide to seeing Tut around the world.