Behind the scenes at Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs

By Promoted Series Correspondent

10.24.11 | 10:35 am

Editor's note: This exhibition is organized by Arts and Exhibitions International, AEG Exhibitions and the National Geographic Society, in association with Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities. Northern Trust is the proud cultural partner of the exhibition and American Airlines is the official airline. The Houston presentation of Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs is made possible by Apache.

Before a single antiquity is unpacked, walls are erected or display cases are rolled into a museum gallery, there is just space and the promise of something exciting yet to come. It’s a sensation that never grows old for Jeffery Wyatt and the rest of his Arts and Exhibitions International team, who travel the world developing exhibits for museums across the country. Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs is his latest project, and is on display at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
It’s hard to imagine the Upper Brown Pavilion of the Caroline Wiess Law Building now without the impressive exhibit of Egyptian treasures belonging to great kings and queens, but just a short time ago, the gallery was a blank canvas. The exhibit was four years in the making, and just the MFAH install took an estimated 6,000 to 10,000 hours of labor to create.
“This is a huge undertaking, and we have this amazing team of talented experts working on this. What we create together is much more than we could ever do individually,” Wyatt, vice president of production, said. There are 35 experts attached to the exhibit, all with specific responsibilities.
Before the exhibit embarks for a new city, each item is carefully surveyed, with a member from the Egyptian team casting a watchful eye for any scratch or chip. The items are specially sealed, placed in specific safety crates and transported via a climate-controlled air ride suspension trailer. When the pieces roll into a new city, they are once again examined.

“These are 3,000-year-old objects and grow fragile. It’s humbling to see the artistry and detail. They didn’t have electric power tools to make these things,” Wyatt said. “We have our iPhones and iPods and we think we have it all figured out, but then you look at these amazing things and marvel at what they produced.”
The stunning collection includes golden sandals found in King Tutankhamun’s tomb, his rings, a gold collar and a gold coffinette containing his stomach. Sculptures of Khafre, the Great Spinx builder and the golden death mask of Psusennes are among the more than 100 artifacts, and each item is handled with reverent care.
“There is a proper air of calm when we install…because the objects are priceless and can’t be replaced,” Wyatt said. The anti-reflective display glass is so clear, it’s as though there is no barrier between visitors and the object, so when installers are working with an item, they create a barrier so team members know to watch their step.
Every detail is considered when creating and installing an exhibit, and this one is no different. Tasked with always improving the experience and maximizing the items on display, Wyatt and his team continually contemplate all aspects of the show, such as lighting and wall graphics.
Mass appeal and fun are also factored into the exhibit. Junior Egyptologists benefit from deciphering King Tut’s cartouche through an animated display, an update to Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs. Visitors big and small will likely find the CT scans of the boy king fascinating, and the Harrison Ford audio introduction of a National Geographic documentary is a familiar touch.

More than 60 cases carried the exhibit to Houston and as each item was revealed, Wyatt said what always strikes him are the little things that make these great kings come alive.
“You see the human side of it. On the side of Tut’s game box were writings that seemed to be Tut taunting his opponents,” Wyatt said. “I am so blessed and this truly never gets old.”
Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs runs October 16, 2011 to April 15, 2012 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's Caroline Wiess Law Building at 1001 Bissonnet. For more information, call 713.639.7300 or visit mfah.org.

For tickets, call the King Tut Ticket Hotline at 1-888-931-4TUT (4888)

Tut Exhibition Entry Times are:
Monday-Wednesday: 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (Opens at 9 a.m., closes at 5 p.m.)
Thursday- Saturday: 10 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. (Opens at 9:30 a.m., closes at 9 p.m.)
Sunday: 12:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. (Opens at 12:15 p.m., closes at 7 p.m.)