King Tut, Part 2

NY Times ^ | Dec 7, 2004

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Do you remember the first time around? Tutankhamun and his hoard came to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1978 and forever changed the way museums did business, not necessarily for the better. There had been major special exhibitions before, but the frenzy over Tut was something extraordinary. Sold-out tickets, long lines, overcrowded galleries - if the objects on display had been any less luminous, any less golden, than they were, they would have been invisible. For the Met, Tutankhamun meant new demographics, new revenues and, in some sense, a new idea of itself. Suddenly it seemed possible to capture audiences of a size limited only by the scale of the museum's cloakroom.

Now Tut is coming back and changing the business model once again, and decidedly for the worse. This American tour, called "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs," will be put together by private companies led by the Anschutz Entertainment Group, which runs the Staples Center in Los Angeles as well as other sports and entertainment venues. Museums often present exhibitions developed entirely by other museums. But the content of this exhibition will be assembled and presented by a group whose lead company has nothing to do with the museum world.

The museums involved - including the Field Museum in Chicago, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and perhaps the Brooklyn Museum of Art - will be participating in a fundamental redefinition of their enterprise.

In a sense, Tut, Part 2, fulfills the implicit logic of Tut, Part 1. The blockbuster model has always strained museum resources. This exhibition essentially outsources the museum's real job - curating content - to a commercial company. Many museums have been reluctant to think of themselves as merely another form of entertainment and to price themselves accordingly. But this show, and the hard bargaining over ticket prices, will force museums to set aside cultural coyness. In Los Angeles, for instance, admission will cost $30.

More than half of the revenue from "Tutankhamun" is supposed to go to the government of Egypt to help restore treasures like the Pyramids. Egypt hopes to clear some $10 million per city, and preserving archaeological monuments is a worthy cause. But the sorry irony of this exhibition is that the manner of its packaging and presentation threatens to undermine the mission of cultural monuments in this country: the museums.

The Met has decided not to show Tut, Part 2, because it refuses to charge extra for special exhibitions. That honors a commitment and a cultural function that are vital to protect.

[TontoKowalski]

I actually can't complain about these free-enterprise flavored exhibitions. That said, I don't object to government sponsored museums (like the Smithsonian) in the same way I do about government sponsored art.

$30 seems a bit steep, but I'd probably foot the $90 tab for my family to see these artifacts. Maybe a once in a lifetime experience.

[xJones]

I remember viewing the King Tut exhibit in LA, 1978. Most of the objects were small, and the crowd in front of each exhibition case was so large that you were lucky to get a view of the objects. And if you did, it wasn't all that great, and your time to even view was way too short.

Tut was a minor pharaoh, to say the least, and his tomb only leads one to imagine what was in the great pharaohs' tombs before they were raided.

[conservlib]

Most people who want to see this exhibition will compare going to Egypt at a cost of at least $1500/person, and subject themselves to Muslim terrorists. Now the exhibit comes to us, we can park our cars, and enjoy an air condition museums to view such wonderful historical objects. People who are complaining about $30/ticket should compare it with Broadway BS shows.

Unfortunately, however, the money collected will go to enrich the exhibit directors, and the ruling Egyptian corrupted regime. Very little will go to improve the antiquity research or preservation work.

[Sgt_Schultze]

The first exhibit's popularity increased due to the release of Steve Martin's "King Tut" on the album, Wild and Crazy Guy in 1978.

King Tut (King Tut)
Now when he was a young man,
He never thought he'd see
People stand in line to see the boy king.

(King Tut) How'd you get so funky?
(funky Tut) Did you do the monkey?
Born in Arizona,
Moved to Babylonia (king Tut).

(king Tut) Now, if I'd known
they'd line up just to see him,
I'd trade in all my money
And bought me a museum. (king Tut)

Buried with a donkey (funky Tut)
He's my favorite honkey!
Born in Arizona,
Moved to Babylonia (king Tut)

Dancin' by the Nile, (Disco Tut)
The ladies love his style, (boss Tut)
Rockin' for a mile (rockin' Tut)
He ate a crocodile.

He gave his life for tourism.
Golden idol!
He's an Egyptian
They're sellin' you.

Now, when I die,
now don't think I'm a nut,
don't want no fancy funeral,
Just one like ole king Tut. (king Tut)

He coulda won a Grammy,
Buried in his Jammies,
Born in Arizona, moved to Babylonia,
He was born in Arizona, got a condo made of stone-a,
King Tut!

[JohnBovenmyer]

I saw Tut in Chicago in 1977. His solid gold death mask is still the most awesome man made object I've ever seen. I might say otherwise had I seen the solid gold coffin, which has stayed in the Cairo museum. Many of the other items were small beauties, but that mask is still as firmly planted in my memory as seeing the 2nd plane hit on 911.

[WideGlide]

"..buried with his donkey. He's my favorite Honkey. King Tut."

[FairOpinion]

Sort of GGG PING.

I don't think it's worth pinging the list, we already had this information, but you might add it to the GGG thread for completeness sake.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks, FairO'. :') I'm addin' it, and pingin' it. And I'm postin' the link to the related thread.

King Tut Exhibit Could Prove to Be Gold Mine
Reuters ^ | Fri, Dec 03, 2004 | Jill Serjeant
Posted on 12/03/2004 11:09:30 PM PST by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1294172/posts

[Fedora]

Tut ping!

[Fedora]

Gave his life for tourism! :)

[tiamat]

We have got to find the lyrics for that Steve Martin song!

Thanks for the ping!

[tiamat]

I told you I can find anything... :-)



Lyrics for: King Tut

 


King Tut (King Tut)
Now when he was a young man,
He never thought he'd see
People stand in line to see the boy king.

(King Tut) How'd you get so funky?
(funky Tut) Did you do the monkey?
Born in Arizona,
Moved to Babylonia (king Tut).

(king Tut) Now, if I'd known
they'd line up just to see him,
I'd trade in all my money
And bought me a museum. (king Tut)

Buried with a donkey (funky Tut)
He's my favorite honkey!
Born in Arizona,
Moved to Babylonia (king Tut)

Dancin' by the Nile, (Disco Tut)
The ladies love his style, (boss Tut)
Rockin' for a mile (rockin' Tut)
He ate a crocodile.

He gave his life for tourism.
Golden idol!
He's an Egyptian
They're sellin' you.

Now, when I die,
now don't think I'm a nut,
don't want no fancy funeral,
Just one like ole king Tut. (king Tut)

He coulda won a Grammy,
Buried in his Jammies,
Born in Arizona, moved to Babylonia,
He was born in Arizona, got a condo made of stone-a,
King Tut!

[lizma]

but I'd probably foot the $90 tab for my family to see these artifacts.

We just plunked down a heck of alot more than that for a day at Disney World. This sounds like a bargain.

My son loves Egyptology. The British Museum had an excellent Egyptian archeology exhibition in Toronto last spring we went to see. What most people would spend an hour at, we were there for 6. I have a feeling I'm gonna hear alot of begging for a second day at the Field.

[SunkenCiv]

Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on, off, or alter the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list --
Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
The GGG Digest -- Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)

[SunkenCiv]

King Tut Exhibit Could Prove to Be Gold Mine
(Coming to the USA in 2005 for 27 month/4 city tour)
Reuters on Yahoo | 12/3/04 | Jill Serjeant - Reuters
Posted on 12/03/2004 7:41:03 PM PST by NormsRevenge
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1294074/posts

King Tut Exhibit Could Prove to Be Gold Mine
Reuters | Fri, Dec 03, 2004 | Jill Serjeant
Posted on 12/03/2004 11:09:30 PM PST by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1294172/posts

[HairOfTheDog]

Not feeling any pity for the arrogant snobby museum and art curators who so want to separate themselves from the commonners.

[JaguarXKE]

Seperated at birth?

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

If you have the time, paste it on Dreamweaver and cut her out of the dress and background. The jpg is smaller so that it can be enlarged to better compare with the "tut".