Art Talk
An Ancient Love Affair to Remember
Edward Goldman talks about the dangerously attractive Getty exhibition, “Beyond the Nile: Egypt and the Classical World."
By Edward Goldman • • 3m ListenWith it’s new exhibition Beyond the Nile: Egypt and the Classical World, The Getty Museum has pulled off an unprecedented feat. First of all, it is an impressive, in-depth scholarly exploration of the artistic and cultural connections between ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, from the Bronze Age to Roman times (2000 BC – AD 300). This exhibition is also a stunning visual spectacle, seducing visitors from the get-go, with nearly 200 rare objects borrowed from museums around the world; many of them on view in the US for the first time.
Installation shot, Beyond the Nile: Egypt and the Classical World. L: Statue of Tjayasetimu. Egyptian. 664-610 BC. R: Kouros. Greek. 520 BC. The Getty Museum, Los Angeles. Photo by Edward Goldman.
L: Head of Ptolemy VIII Euergetes (Benefactor) II. 144-116 BC. The Getty Museum, Los Angeles. R: Bust of Julius Ceasar. Romano-Egyptian. 30 BC – AD 25. The Getty Museum, Los Angeles. Photos by Edward Goldman.
L: Relief with Bes Dancing. Romano-Egyptian. BC-AD 100. The Getty Museum, Los Angeles. R: Acrobat on a Crocodile. Roman. 25 BC – AD 100. The Getty Museum, Los Angeles. Photos by Edward Goldman.
L: Iris with the Infant Harpokrates. Roman. 100 BC – AD 79. The Getty Museum, Los Angeles. R: Emperor Domitian as Pharaoh. Roman. AD 88-89. The Getty Museum, Los Angeles. Photos by Edward Goldman.
L: Head of Caracalla. Romano-Egyptian. AD 211-217. The Getty Museum, Los Angeles. R: Detail, Mosaic with a View of the Nile. Roman. 100 BC-AD 100. The Getty Museum, Los Angeles. Photos by Edward Goldman.
L: Hippopotamus. Roman. AD 1-100. The Getty Museum, Los Angeles. R: Cup with Egyptian Scenes. Roman. 25 BC-AD 79. The Getty Museum, Los Angeles. Photos by Edward Goldman.
Let me finish with yet another story of the love affair between the ancient and contemporary art world. The Getty Conservation Institute announced today that it has nearly completed its nine-year study of King Tut’s tomb, collaborating with the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities. As a welcome coincidence, last week, the California Science Center opened the traveling exhibition King Tut: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh. According to Egyptian authorities, this is the last time that these treasures will be allowed to leave Egypt.
