The Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt at the Frist

Friday, 18 August 2006 13:49

NASHVILLE, TENN – The Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt, an exhibition that comprises the largest collection of artifacts ever loaned by the Egyptian government for display in North America, is at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts.  Visitors to the Frist Center will have a rare opportunity to see over 100 priceless antiquities that relate to the Egyptians’ belief in the afterlife. Included in the show are majestic sculptures, exquisitely crafted gold jewelry, intricately painted coffins and other funerary objects, and artwork from Egypt’s golden age.  Also on view will be Mummies, a small exhibition featuring a real human mummy, as well as animal mummies.  The Quest for Immortality will remain at the Frist Center through October 8, 2006.

The Quest for Immortality features artifacts from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the Luxor Museum and the archaeological sites of Tanis and Deir el-Bahari, which provide a fascinating glimpse into Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife.  These objects range in date from the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BCE) through the Late Period (664-332 BCE).

“The Quest for Immortality is our most ambitious undertaking to date,” said Frist Center Executive Director Dr. Susan H. Edwards.  “The exhibition is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see some of the most magnificent artifacts from a civilization that has captured and sustained our imagination for thousands of years.  The sheer beauty of this art is truly breathtaking.”

THE EXHIBITION
The exhibition is divided into six themes: the New Kingdom, the Reign of Thutmose III, Tombs of Nobles, Royal Tombs, the Realm of the Gods, and the Tomb of Thutmose III and the Amduat (a funerary text, reserved only for pharaohs or those favored by the noble class.)  There also will be a companion exhibition featuring human and animal mummies as well as modern medical imaging showing the interior of the human mummy.