Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibition will travel to Melbourne, Australia at the beginning of April 2011, the first time that the treasures of the golden king will be displayed in this country. The exhibition contains 140 objects belonging to King Tut and his family, fifty of which were found by Howard Carter during his excavation of the boy king’s tomb.

The Melbourne exhibition will contain some never before seen objects, including a statue of King Akhenaten. This statue is being added as a result of DNA analysis, which proved that Akehnaten was the father of Tutankhamun, and the son of Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye.

Some of the unique artifacts that visitors will see include: a mannequin statue of the boy king, which would have been used in antiquity to hang ceremonial robes and jewelry; a beautiful golden dagger; a small coffinette used to house one of King Tutankhamun’s internal organs; and other statues of the king.

drhawass.com

Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs will not tour Australia because museums cannot afford it.

The director of the Australian Museum, Frank Howarth, said the show’s $10 million price tag and its size were too big for Australian institutions to handle.

Since opening at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 2005, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, which is co-produced by the National Geographic Society, has attracted more than 6 million visitors and earned more than $US110 million in sales.

Greater Los Angeles has almost 20 million people within 1.5 hours’ drive of the show, nearly as much as as Australia’s entire population.

The Australian Museum is exhibiting Egyptian Treasures: Art of the Pharaohs, from the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Austria. By contrast, it cost about $1.5 million.

The Sydney Morning Herald

The Los Altos main library has scheduled three lectures describing different aspects of the “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” exhibition currently showing at the De Young Museum in San Francisco.

• Mina Shea will present an overview of the exhibition 7:30 p.m. July 8. She will include information on 80 objects from the royal family and court.

• Julia Geist will discuss “Discovering Ancient Egypt: Tombs, Temples and Pharaohs” 7:30 p.m. July 15.

• Kay Payne will speak on “Women Yesterday: Egypt, Greece and Rome” 7:30 p.m. July 22.

All lectures take place in the Program Room of the main library, 13. S. San Antonio Road. For more information, call 948-7683.

losaltosonline.com

Meanwhile, the 25  foot tall statue of Anubis that has been traveling with the Tut show across Europe and the US has arrived in San Francisco and placed at Pier 39.

Though the traveling exhibit “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” stills draws crowds and excitement wherever it goes, Tut and intriguing mythology behind him just doesn’t generate the same frenzy as he used to.

Back in 1979, Tutmania was akin to Beatlemania. That’s when the “Tutafacts,” 55 items from King Tutankhamun’s tomb, toured America with the blessings of the Egyptian authorities. People were ready — teased by pictures in countless books, Steve Martin’s novelty song tribute to the Pharaoh, and tasteful and tasteless souvenirs (including a T-shirt emblazoned with “Keep your hands off my tuts”) — and by the time it was over, more than 8 million people across the country viewed the exhibition.

There is less Tut buzz today for the return of the exhibit, which opens Saturday in San Francisco’s de Young Museum, where it played to crazed crowds and long lines three decades ago.

Excerpted from an article by Pat Craig for Inside Bay Area

Tickets for Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs at the M.H. de Young Museum in San Francisco, California (June 27, 2009-March 28, 2010) go on sale online Monday, April 6, 2009.

Prices: Monday through Thursday tickets cost $27.50 for adults, $25.50 for seniors 65 years of age and older and $16.50 for youth ages 6 to 17. Friday to Sunday admission prices are $32.50 for adults, $30.50 for seniors and $16.50 for youth. Children ages 5 and under enter free-of-charge.

Stan Parchin