The Great Southern Tutankhamun Trendkill

Had the wonderful opportunity to go to Atlanta to see the King Tutankhamun exhibition at the Atlanta Civic Center. This is something that I have wanted to see my entire life - I have always been incredibly fascinated by Egyptian and North African cultures. One of my big goals is to travel to Cairo and the Valley of the Kings to research hieroglyphs.

Anyway, the show was amazing, consisting of over a 130 pieces. However, it is very anti-climatic, as the entire exhibit builds towards the Burial Chamber, Tutankhamun himself. And when you think you are there, boom, it's over - you are in the gift shot. Apparently Tut is in the Dallas exhibit - you don't get to see him. Bit disappointing after the massive build up. However, it is a fantastic show, and one that should not be missed.

The objects made from Calcite (like the picture shown) were gorgeous - they glowed luminously and were semi-translucent. Otherwordly, almost alien.

Chinese Terracota Army Take Atlanta

Went to see the Chinese Terracota Army at the High Museum of Art in Hotlanta this week, and I must say the show was amazing. It was pretty packed with people (mostly large groups of elderly and large groups of young children) and you had to battle to get close to the pieces, but the exhibit was well worth the fight. A large array of items were on display, giving an excellent overview of the massive excavations, which encompass over 23 square miles! The most interesting aspect of the exhibition to me was that the excavation is ongoing, and there were items on display that had been very recently discovered. Excellent show, well worth the trip.

http://www.high.org/main.taf?p=3,2,1,1

BTW - there is a spectacular Anselm Kiefer painting on the top floor, which is truly worth the price of admission. The thing with Kiefer is that you must see his work in real life - I only wish I would have had more time to spend with the piece, as it is so monumental that it takes quite a bit of time to truly digest it. Beside the Kiefer painting is a significant work by Ed Ruscha that is also worth traveling for - subtle and beautiful.