“Wonderful Things”
Wonderful Things: The Harry Burton Photographs and the Discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamun, sister exhibition to Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs
Opening Friday 14 November at the Michael C. Carlos Museum in Atlanta
Trained in the fine arts, Harry Burton was working as a photographer for the Metropolitan Museum of Art when he joined the Howard Carter team. In his eight years with the expedition, he shot a breathtaking 1,400 negatives that bring the viewer into the realm of discovery and the world of ancient Egypt.
Burton romanticizes the expedition, and he is keenly aware of how he could control the public’s perceptions of it through images. But he is also a masterful storyteller, and his artistic eye is really what’s on display here.
The way Burton transfers the lustre of gold to black-and-white film is spectacular. The soft, warm light emanating from the photo of a chariot brings up that universal and unmistakable wonder of gold.
Burton’s deft use of light reaches its greatest in his photos of statues. The light hits the statues’ faces at the right spot to bring each depiction of King Tut to life.
What sets the photographs of King Tut apart is that these were of the first well-photographed, National Geographic-style excavation. Many photographs show objects that don’t even exist anymore, underscoring the importance of historical documentation.
An interesting addition to Burton’s photos are the newspaper clippings from the 1920s covering the excavation. Lord Carnarvon, the chief financier of the expedition, gave exclusive photos and news rights to The Times of London. He was a savvy celeb way ahead of his time.
Excerpted from an article by Bridget Riley for emorywheel.com
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