"Pharaohs of the Sun: Akhenaten, Nefertiti, Tutankhamen"
2000-07-17 until 2000-09-24
Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, IL, USA

For more than two millennia, the civilization of ancient Egypt has been a source of fascination for both scholars and the general public. Yet within the broad span of Egypt's history, one era has engendered the greatest interest--the Amarna period, or the Age of Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and Tutankhamen. Pharaoh Akhenaten was a revolutionary ruler who during a relatively short period (1353-1336 B.C.) engineered a wholesale reorganization of Egyptian art, religion, and politics. The city of Amarna, founded by Akhenaten, served as the fountainhead of this movement, and it was here that his views were most eloquently expressed.

Pharaohs of the Sun makes the city of Amarna come alive for modern viewers with more than 250 objects--including surprisingly naturalistic representations of the royal family and private citizens, objects from daily life, architectural fragments, a large-scale model of the city, graphics, and a video presentation--as well as an interactive Web site program. This exhibition explores the spectacular civic and cultural achievements of Amarna, the forces that ultimately undermined it, and the dramatic impact that the city had on the rest of the ancient world.

Image: Sculpture of Akhenaten,

1353-1336 B.C.

Yellow stone. Musée du Louvre, Paris.

Photograph courtesy Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for the State of Illinois

Other Important Exhibitions in Chicago