Walk, talk and gawp like an Egyptian at this blockbuster exhibition all about ancient Egyptian art and culture. The NGV's 2024 Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition, titled Pharaoh, constitutes the biggest loan of ancient Egyptian artefacts that the British Museum has ever presented to international audiences – most of which are on display in Australia for the very first time.
Curated especially for the NGV by the British Museum, Pharaoh runs until October 6, 2024, and include a wide display of objects from monumental architecture to awe-inspiring statuary and exquisite pieces of jewellery. For the night owls, make sure to experience ancient Egypt afterdark when Pharaoh opens late every Friday night this winter for NGV Friday Nights: Pharaoh. Each week, there will be a changing line-up of live music, spanning classical, jazz, blues, funk and more – so grab your nearest and dearest for your next Friday outing.
Spanning from the first dynasty (3000 BCE) to the Roman period (fourth century CE), Pharaoh will celebrate some of the works commissioned by Egypt’s most famous kings and queens, including the boy king Tutankhamun; Ramses II and Queen Nefetari; Khufu, builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza; and foreign leaders such as Alexander the Great.
The works featured in Pharaoh provide a sense of the vast scale of this ancient civilisation, including a carved green siltstone 'Head of Tuthmose III'; a five-centimetre wide ivory label depicting King Den of the first dynasty; a larger-than-life limestone status of Ramses II, one of ancient Egypt’s most famous kings as a high priest; and 'The seated statue of Pharoh Sety II', one of the most complete sculptures from ancient Egypt that serve as a testament to the exceptional craftsmanship.
Pharaoh also evokes the sheer grandeur and scale of ancient Egypt through its statutory and architecture, including a re-assembled limestone wall from an Old Kingdom mastaba tomb standing 2.5 metres high and more than three metres wide, elaborately carved with hieroglyphic texts to a mind-boggling 1.5 tonne and 1.5-metre wide fist.
The exhibition includes a display of exquisite ancient Egyptian jewellery – from intricately modelled gold rings to collars and neckpieces – which explore the significance of adornment in the lives of ancient Egyptians.
Pharaoh runs until October 6, 2024, at the NGV International. You can learn about tickets and further information by visiting the NGV website here.
