The Quest for Immortality: Treasures
of Ancient Egypt brings the largest and most comprehensive
selection of antiquities ever loaned by Egypt to
the Kimbell.
The exhibition features sculptures,
jewelry, and other masterpieces of funerary
art from Egypt 's golden age, much of it never before
seen outside of Egypt. Over
100 artifacts, from the first and second millennia
B.C., rich in artistic
and historical importance, dramatically illustrate
the ancient Egyptians beliefs in the
afterlife and the journey of the
pharaoh s soul into the field of
reeds.
Commented Dr. Timothy Potts,
director of the Kimbell Art Museum, "There
have been a number of other Egyptian
exhibitions since the famous King
Tutankhamun exhibition in the 1970s, but this is clearly the most
important. The great Egyptian museums have
all been extraordinarily generous in lending their most important
works of art, many of which have never
before been allowed to travel. It will be a breathtaking experience
and one very unlikely ever to be repeated."
A full-scale reconstruction of a New
Kingdom pharaoh's burial chamber is also featured in this
once-in-a-lifetime exhibition. Inside, visitors view the earliest
known complete painting of the Amduat, the
great text describing the sun god's journey through the
afterworld. Abt and Hornung in their
excellent book on the subject tell us, "The aim of the Amduat is
that the reader becomes conscious of the
guiding function of the inner Sungod or of the "inner great human".
The Amduat, written 3500 years ago,
contains in a nutshell the knowledge necessary to reunite the
individual soul with this inner guiding
light. This knowledge was later more clearly differentiated by all
great religions.
SCHEDULE
Sunday
September 7, 2003
| View Exhibit |
12:00 – 3:00 PM |
| Discussion |
3:00
– 4:30 PM |
| Hedary’s
Restaurant |
5:00 – 6:30 PM |
The Kimbell opens at 12
Noon on Sundays. The superb audio guide to the exhibit takes about 1
hour to listen to their commentary on selected pieces. It is easy to
spend 2 hours or more on the exhibit and the gift shop. The museum
told us to be
aware of crowds as this is the next to the last weekend for the
exhibit. Come when you like depending on your pace at exhibits. We
will begin the presentation and discussion promptly in the museum’s
auditorium at 3:00 PM and stop at 4:30 to proceed to Hedary’s for
dinner.
Cost: Entrance to
the exhibit including the audio tour is $16, $14 for students with
ID. A good price considering the cost of airfare to Egypt. Dinner at
Hedary’s will be $10-$20 depending on how much you care to eat and
drink. Hedary’s said they will provide us with individual checks.
Hedarys is clearly one of the best Middle Eastern restaurants in the
Metroplex.
RSVP:
Please RSVP for both the museum and the
restaurant as we need a count. Denise Humphrey, Ph.D.
972-239-2490 or
dthumphrey1@prodigy.net
Furthering the Quest
Some of you may be interested to know
that the day before our DSPP event the Symposium below will be
offered at the museum. For those of you who haven’t spent time in
Fort Worth lately they have a beautiful downtown area around the
Bass Performance Hall. On Saturday evening September 6, 2003 the
Fort Worth Opera will be performing Verdi’s Rigoletto. There are a
number of interesting Hotels in the area, the newest being the
historical redevelopment of the 1915 Fort Worth Club into the Ashton
Hotel,
www.theashtonhotel.com. So why not make a weekend of it.
The Quest
for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt
RELATED EVENTS
SYMPOSIUM
Saturday, September 6
A public symposium featuring lectures by leading Egyptologists will
be held on Saturday, September 6.
10:15–12:30 p.m.
Welcome, Introductions, and Moderation
Timothy Potts, director Kimbell Art Museum
The Tide of Tradition: Egypt’s
Earliest Kingship and the Royal Art of the New Kingdom
David O’Connor, Lila Acheson Wallace Professor of Ancient
Egyptian Art, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University
Judgment after Death and the
Concept of Heaven and Hell in Ancient Egypt
Donald B. Redford, professor of classics and Mediterranean
studies and history, Pennsylvania State University, University
Park
For additional information
contact Denise Humphrey, PhD at
dthumphrey1@prodigy.net
