Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised

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Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the death mask?

I have been a fan of Egypt since I was a kid. I taught myself (some) hieroglypics, went on excavations in the backyard, and even had plans to be mummified. So when I saw King Tut was back in the states, I had to go. My mom had taken me when I was very young, but unfortunately I don't remember it.

I tried to go on opening weekend, but it was sold out, so Natasha and I went back to the Field Museum this last weekend. This went sour pretty quickly. I brought my camera, and several lenses, along to be able to capture all of the great treasures. But all photography (even non flash) was prohibited. This was completely unadvertised, and was a big pain in the bottom, because I now had to lug around my giant camera bag, with no benefit! I dont know if this was due to some greedy need to want to sell books and pictures at the gift shop (likely) or because...

The place was packed... Even with time restricted tickets (only good for a 30 minute window) the place was very full. In order to see some of the items, you had to wait 5 or more minutes to work your way to the front of the crowd. The photography restriction is understandable in this situation, as it would take hours to let everyone get their unobstructed photos of the items (plus idiots using flash on 3000 year old paint), but it would have been nice to be warned in advance.

Then you get to the content. The exhibit was easily more than 70% not Tut artifacts. Lots of Amonhotep II , III, and various other royals (probably) related to Tut. That isn't to say that the items aren't interesting, and rare, and worth seeing - but the exhibit is clearly advertized as revolving around Tut.

In particular, Tut's golden mask is the centerpiece of all advertising, including posters all over the city, the internet site for the exhibit (www.kingtut.org), the admission tickets, etc. But THE MASK IS NOT ON EXHIBIT. I don't know if I can emphasize how dissapointing (and frankly fraudulent) I feel this is. The single most iconic item related to Tut, and advertized everywhere, is not on display. Also not on display were the golden chariots, thrones, etc. There were really only 6 or 7 items actually from Tut's tomb, plus a large stella that refered to Tut from a temple.

In any case, I think the exhibit is worthy of a visit if you are a fan of Egypt, especially if you live near Chicago or one of the other venues, but be realistic about what you are about to see.

update Technically the show is not using false advertising, the mask that is used for all the ads is the “Canopic Coffinette of Tutankamun” This is a miniature coffin (about 16 inches long) that was used to store Tut's liver.

but the image is highly cropped to seem the same as the mask. The brochure does name the item correctly, but I think that 99% of all viewers would assume it is the mask. Interestingly, the coffinette is more ornate and more impressive (at the same level of detail) than the famous mask that everying thinks of, but the mask is of course much larger. See the images below for the actual item, how the item is presented, and compare that to the mask. I think its clear from the cropping that they are trying to evoke the mask. They could have cropped less tightly to make it obvious that wasn't the mask, but still give an impressive photo.

	The Cofinette (It is difficult to tell from this picture, but the coffintte is only about 16 inches long.)
	The Coffinette as cropped in the ads
	The mask everyone is expecting. You can tell the ad is the cofinnette, because the full mask does not include the crossed arms with the crook and flail

Print | posted on Monday, July 10, 2006 11:57 AM

Comments on this post

# re: King Tut (Tutankhamun) in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the death mask?

I wish I had read Jason's comments before purchasing our extortionately expensive tickets and travelling from a considerable distance. I agree with everything he said, especially concerning the Missing Mask -- a major disappointment when it's a featured illustration for all ads and brochures. In general the exhibit was extremely interesting, but there were enough major omissions to raise some eithical questions.

Left by Lorraine on Jul 24, 2006 2:07 PM

# re: Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the death mask?

I loved the exhibit, but I was not expect what you were expecting.

Restrictions on photography are common in museums, especially in this type of travelling exhibition. From the Field Museum Tut FAQ page: "Are food and photography allowed in Tutankhamun?
Food and photography are not permitted in the exhibition."

As for crowds, they come with the territory. It's best to be patient and not in a rush. There is no restriction on how long you can remain in the exhibit. Many people did not take advantage of the opportunity to walk all the way around the display cases.

The exhibit clearly revolves around Tut. From the catalogue, I counted 46 items from Tut's tomb, 4 other items that had Tut's name painted onto or carved into them at their creation, and 2 items which may be Tut or Akhenaton's. Out of a total of 114 artifacts in the catalogue, that makes 54 to 56% non-Tut, not over 70%. The other items were certainly of close relatives to Tut. We know he was the son of a king, we're just not sure of which king.

I did not expect to see the mask in the exhibit, but I already saw it in the 70s. I was hoping for different artifacts than the 70s exhibition and was not disappointed. The image on the website (www.kingtut.org) is actually labelled "Image: Miniature coffinette" although only for a split second as it zooms up. Part of the blame for the close-up is probably official photographer Kenneth Garrett. He really likes close-ups. Several artifacts in the catalogue are shown only in detail. There is no picture of the bottom half of the coffinette, even. If posters, etc. showed the whole coffin, there would be a lot of wasted space, since the available space is somewhat square-ish. On the brochure a bit more is shown but it is reasonably obvious everywhere that the picture is not the mask. The mask doesn't have shoulders and you can see in the ad you show that the image continues out of the frame at the bottom and off the edge.

One consolation is that the price of the tickets include about $5 to $10 per visitor that goes directly to the Egyptian Council of Antiquities to help fund a new modern museum. The present museum in Cairo is wholly inadequate for the fantastic treasures Egypt possesses. Since the early 80s, there has been a law in Egypt preventing any Tut artifacts to leave the country. It took some convincing to allow any of them out this time, but they finally agreed to send only items they had more than one of. You should count yourself lucky to have seen them at all without going to Egypt itself.

Left by Visitor from Canada on Aug 04, 2006 5:50 AM

# re: Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the death mask?

I had to search on the web to see if anyone was complaining about the (what I feel is) false advertizing. I took my 5 yr old daughter and she loved it but I would have dearly loved for her to have seen the death mask in all its glory. I remember seeing it as a youth and I always remembered it. I do feel the price of tickets is outrageous - I am slightly less disgusted after hearing that some of the money will go to a good cause.

Overall though, you would learn a lot more about this subject by watching the National Geographic special. It was really mutton dressed as lamb this exhibit.

I wished there was someone at the Field Museum to yell at because at the time I was furious. I'm beginning to calm down now - it's only been 2 months.

I would definitely NOT recommend this exhibit unless you're interested in seeing a couple small odd things and you have way too much cash and time to burn.

Left by Russell Haynes on Aug 15, 2006 11:34 PM

# re: Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the death mask?

I am glad I found your page too...I was incredibly mad since i traveled to chicago just for this. I am going to put my charge in dispute with the credit card company. Just because this is a world famous exhibition doesn't mean they are above ETHICS. Oh - wah "visitor from canada" (field museum shill, im sure) - so in tiny print they label the fact it's a cofinette on ONE web page? Well ALL over chicago there are giant pictures of King Tut's face - and 99% of people don't even know what a coffinette is. Come ON - if this level of deception happened on EBAY over a $35 item (which this was + parking) it would be a big deal & the seller would get some serious negative feedback - but they are getting away with deceiving millions of people because ... ?

Left by exhibit visitor on Aug 21, 2006 10:11 PM

# re: Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the death mask?

I saw the exhibit in LA last November. I share some of the disappointment others feel at the paucity of Tutankhamun artifacts relative to others, but it was still a genuine thrill to finally be in the presence of these items of which I've been looking at photographs since third grade, when my parents couldn't take me to the sold-out original exhibition in NY. As crowded as it was, every time I turned around and looked to the next display case, I would gasp in recognition and delight, "Oh! There's the...[name of object]" I guess you could say the exhibit certainly left me wanting more, however you interpret that sentiment.

Left by GrafZeppelin on Sep 16, 2006 10:27 AM

# re: Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the death mask?

One further comment, if I may, regarding the alleged coffinette/mask "deception":

The funerary mask (I generally object to the term "death mask") is most definitely the iconic image of Tutankhamun, and I'm certain that this is what the exhibition had in mind when they designed the advertising around the substantially similar image of the coffinette. Depending on your degree of cynicism, you might interpret this decision in a number of ways.

I don't mean to offend anyone or condescend, but anyone who has studied the Tutankhamun artifacts as a whole would recognize the coffinette immediately, and would not confuse it with the funerary mask. Many of the press reports in advance of the exhibition mentioned that the mask would not be traveling. The Egyptian government, I believe rightly, regards it as too valuable; it is certainly one of the top five (if not the single) most significant works of art in the world.

Now, all that being said, it seems clear that the advertising is meant to evoke the image of the mask while being not technically "false." Whether this constitutes an active deception in the sense that they wanted, hoped or expected people to think that the image is actually the mask, and that the mask is in the exhibit, making them more likely to buy a ticket, is open to speculation, and depends as I noted on how cynical we are.

A less-cynical person might think that they merely hoped to capitalize on a familiar image and did not actively try to deceive, although they probably knew that the lay public, who may have seen the mask on a book cover but has not studied the treasures, could easily mistake the coffinette for the mask. In other words, they probably didn't intend it to be misleading, but knew that it could be.

Realistically, I think, if there was any "deception" on their part, it was probably more knowing than deliberate. We can expect to get what we want while still allowing advertisers to do their job.

Thank you.

Left by GrafZeppelin on Sep 16, 2006 10:52 AM

# re: Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the death mask?

I just returned from Chicago, after traveling there this weekend to see the Tut exhibit. I too was very, very disappointed in not seeing the funerary mask. I didn't read anything before I went because I never imagined not seeing the mask. If only I'd done a little Googling before going, I wouldn't have been disappointed in what otherwise was an excellent exhibit.

Left by Question on Oct 09, 2006 2:04 PM

# re: Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the death mask?

I'm glad I found this site. I thought I was the only one disappointed about the exhibit. I have been a fan of Egypt all my life. When I found out that King Tut's treasures were in Chicago, my wife and I traveled to Chicago from Washington to see Tut's artifacts specially the "mask". I still remember how disappointed I was when I asked the attendant "can you please point me to the mask" I think I missed it! and the attended saying... the mask is not here, they won't let it out of Egypt. I can not describe the feeling but I'm sure is the same that other people felt. I felt cheated and sandbagged. The exhibit was totally misrepresented and false. Although my wife and I enjoyed the exhibit, it was not worth spending $2,000 + between airfare and hotel accommodation and not see what we both thought is was being advertised.

I guess I'll have to go to Egypt!

Left by Raul Rosales on Oct 21, 2006 2:32 PM

# re: Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the death mask?

Hey, this is really a drag...to be sold the idea that one is going to get to see the funeral mask of King Tut, then to be charged $15 parking and $25 to enter, followed by Not getting to see much of anything particularly Tut..this is a modern kind of 'magic', I'm sure there was plenty of that back in Tut's day, but now its a marketing technique: offer people what they want, then take their money and give 'em something completely different!!
It ain't nice, it ain't pretty, it generates money though!!
Actually we complained while we were there, and whilst the guy on the desk sympathised with us, the woman manager we were referred to was dismissive, we were made to feel like the 'ignorant' public who couldnt possibly understand the intricacies of archeology, so our opinion was worthless....
We felt insulted and left at that point.

I said to my friend...its a bit like buying a ticket to see the rolling stones, only when you get there they aint actualy playing...just the road crew and the support act....and a video !!!

Left by dave eastoe on Oct 23, 2006 6:16 PM

# re: Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the death mask?

The T-Rex, Sue, was more impressive than the Tut exhibit at the Field Museum. While warned that you only see little things at the exhibit, it was set up in a way to attempt to be larger than life which just reinforced a "fraud" feeling as you see it. Bypass paying more for the audio narration...that is a waste.

Left by December Visitor on Dec 09, 2006 10:08 PM

# re: Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the death mask?

The person that said the t-rex was better was wrong and DUMB! I do like the T-REX! But my only regret about the Tut exhibit is it didn't have Tut's mummy.

Left by Robert B. on Dec 14, 2006 12:24 PM

# re: Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the death mask?

I toured King Tut yesterday with my family. I was fortunate enough to see the exhibit in 1977. I agree that this display was not as grand as it was 30 years ago. However, it is still worth the trip. My only disappointment was the last room. It was videos of Tut's mummy. I expected something more grand for the final room.
The crowds were a bit much, too. People with the audio slowed things down a bit.
Unless you are traveling to Egypt in the near future, I'd recommend going.

Left by Visitor on Dec 17, 2006 5:07 PM

# re: Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the death mask?

I actually will be going to Egypt in January 2008. Can anyone tell me where the death mask actually is in Egypt? Thanks.

Left by Jamie on Jan 24, 2007 3:57 PM

# re: Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the death mask?

It's in Cairo, in the Cairo Museum. The best way to see it is to get a personal guide from the museum (will cost you a little more) and see it that way. And buy a guide book to egypt and cairo, if you don't know your way around you could stray into the wrong area and get robbed.

Left by mel on Jan 30, 2007 5:18 AM

# re: Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the death mask?

A group of friends and I traveled from a bunch of different places to meet up in Philly just to see Tut, we had it planned for months. We loved the exhibit but definitely felt misled by the promotional materials and experienced a big let down after exiting the final gallery (and were unceremoniously dumped into a Tut store packed with people, like we were at Universal Stuidios or something). Call me uninformed but I did not recognize it was the coffinette in the advertising vs the full size mask. Seemed quite intentional.

Left by Laura on Feb 04, 2007 9:53 PM

# where is the death mask?

Why won't you just tell people where the death mask is enstead of telling a history that doesn't matter.

Left by Brooklyn Sheppard on Feb 09, 2007 6:11 PM

# re: Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the death mask?

Hi all,

Just went to the Philly exhibit today with the family. Not too far for us, and we knew for months that the mask wouldn't be there.

Still, was a bit disappointing. The items on display were nice, but you have to tell me that they could have included at least SOMETHING that would have evoked the iconic "King Tut". Maybe one of his outer coffins, at least? They certainly could have fit that in to the "more than one" rule, considering that they have three or four of them (can't remember exactly).

Also, it was ironic and amusing to see the nine foot high photo of Zahi Hawass beaming proudly around the gift shop, when it was his policies in particular that kept the best Tut items home in Egypt...

Left by Jimbo on Feb 19, 2007 9:20 PM

# re: Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the death mask?

Obviously you people know nothing about the Tut story. If you did, or if you paid any attention to the non-Tut items instead of whining about them not belonging to Tut, you would have recognized them as crucial to the Tut story. Tut would have been nothing had it not been for his predecessors.

And as for the burial mask being "missing" .... it's not the tour's fault if you're too naive to look into what's actually being shown. The FAQ on the tour's webpage (along with saying photography was prohibited) said the mask would not be on tour.

Left by Aaron on Feb 25, 2007 11:37 PM

# re: Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicag o at the Field Go see the exibit they have at the lu xor in Las Vegas Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the death mask?

I want to thank all of you for saving my wife and I the cost of a trip to Philly to see the exhibit .( $1000.00 ) I seen it in the 70s in Chicago mask and all . And I wanted my wife to experience it . I'm glad we went to the Luxor in Las Vegas and seen the museum they have there. It was just like the 70s tour ( maybe not the original stuff) But there was more to it . And to me they seemed to spare no expense in making it look original . They even show how the tomb looked before everything was moved . I was really impressed . And I didn't think I'd like it at all. So if you want to at least see what it looks like. Take the trip to Vegas. And if you stay at the luxor the tour is free.

Left by Steve on Feb 28, 2007 5:49 PM

# re: Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the death mask?

I bought my tickets already, and (after the ream job from Ticketmaster), for two adults it was $80 with the audio tour.

I am upset that the mask is missing. Aaron, why read the FAQ on the website to check that the mask would be there, when you see what appears to be it smeared on ads all over the city? I know quite a bit about Tut, and the extreme closeup is misleading.

I still want to go, but it better be a very informative exhibit. I was already disappointed by the small "Amarna" supplementary show at the Upenn Museum. An otherwise excellent museum, "Amarna" lacked detailed signage. Sad, since the story of the rise of the worship of Amun is very interesting.

Left by Sherry on Mar 03, 2007 9:28 PM

# re: Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the death mask?

I may agree with you on the Amarna exhibit Sherry...it seemed to be there could have been more to it.

And if you know anything about modern Egyptology you should know Zahi Hawass would never dream of sending the famed burial mask of Tutankhamun to an exhibit outside of Egypt, let alone across the sea, and especially in America of all places.

I can understand the confusion of the mask and the cofinette, even though there are differences. But, even so, why wouldn't the mask, which is the readily recognizable icon of Tutankhamun, be used simply for advertising? Just because it's in an ad doesn't mean it's necessarily going to be there. I mean, if I see an add for an Egyptian exhibit with pictures of the pyramids on them I'm not expecting the pyramids to actually be there...

That's all hypothetical though, since what was used in the advertising really was the cofinette rather than the burial mask.

Left by Aaron on Mar 07, 2007 8:57 PM

# re: Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the death mask?

So, how was the coffinette?

Left by Tom on Mar 11, 2007 6:32 PM

# re: Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the death mask?

The head - and only the cropped head! - from the coffinette appears in all of the advertising, no doubt because it looks as much like the famous funerary mask as is possible for a thing which is not the famous funerary mask. Naturally, if one sees what looks like the mask in the advertising, one expects that the mask will be in the show. That's so entirely reasonable that I can't believe anyone would argue with it -- except maybe out of sheer willfulness. Aaron's pyramids analogy is nonsense. I wonder what he has at stake that he feels such a strong need to defend this curatorial hackjob at the cost of his own credibility.

I just returned from the exhibition in Philadelphia and, like most of the responders, I was disappointed. While there are several exceptionally beautiful and significant pieces on display, ultimately I don't think it was worth the $30.00 admission price. (I also handed over an additional $7.00 for the headsets so that I could hear Omar Shariff's melodramatic readings of minimally helpful infotainment sound-bytes, complete with cheesy musical tracks!)

My judgment isn't based only upon my disappointment at the lack of big bling in the show given the grossly inflated cost of admission. I object as well to what one reviewer has called the "Universal Studios" experience that the designers of this exhibition have created. It diminishes your experience of the artifacts themselves when they are wrapped in a cheesy 'B' Hollywood production number.

As an example, before being allowed to enter the first room, you will be made to stand as a group and watch a slickly produced video which serves as a prelude or a kind of pep rally. The video is meant to elicit cheesy oohs and ahhs from you, and thereby set the tone for your emotional experience of the artifacts before you've even seen any. Well no thank you, curators. I'm able to form emotional and aesthetic responses all by myself. Furthermore, the objects themselves elicit affects more deep and complex than the silly corn that you (and Omar) are (apparently) capable of conveying. Or is it that you do not trust the viewers to be sophisticated enough even to be awed without a carnivalesque production?

Museum-going is more and more like a trip to the fair. Step right up! Come inside, enjoy the ride! And -- apparently – only a real rube would expect everything in the funhouse to be exactly what's advertised....

Left by Uforian on Mar 19, 2007 6:08 PM

# re: Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the deat

As a 19 year old who has been obsessed with King Tut and anything Egyptian since reading about him in Disney Adventures when I was about 8, this exhibit was amazing. I was not even born when the artifacts toured the US in the 70s so I did not really have much of a choice which exhibit I was going to see. I was perfectly aware that the iconic funerary mask was not going to be present at the exhibit, and I think that it is silly that the absence of one artifact would stop a person from what may well be a once in a lifetime opportunity to see these artifacts. If you appreciate and actually look at what is at the exhibit, there is a lot to appreciate.
The details on the coffinette were amazing, the intricate inlays of semi-precious stones and the hieroglyphics that were on the inside. There is so much exquisite detail squeezed onto a figure that is only about a foot tall.
Another artifact that specifically caught my eye was the dagger and sheath that was found in the linen wrapped around Tut's mummy. I had never even seen pictures of the knife before, and it was absolutely beautiful.
I also feel that it is important to point out that there were other Pharaohs in Ancient Egypt besides Tut, and though the other artifacts in the exhibit may be less famous, they are by no means less amazing then those from Tut's tomb, and should not be ignored.

Left by Katie on May 21, 2007 8:11 PM

# re: Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the deat

I recently went on a field trip to the King Tut exhibit in Philadelphia for school. I have to say, my classmates and I had also been fooled by the picture of the cofinette cropped on the front of the brochure. We had been expecting the grand funerary mask, as our teachers had failed to inform us that it would not be featured in the exhibit. Personally, I as a teen have to say I was rather dissapointed by the lack of "big" artifacts featured in the exhibit.

Don't get me wrong -- it was a nice trip. However, I have to agree with Uforian on the video. I thought it was a very cheesy, exaggerated prelude to the exhibit. I likened it to a cheap video introducing a sports team before a game, rather than something meant to lead into a sophisticated exhibit consisting of priceless, thousand year-old artifacts.

Thanks. =)

Left by Mickey on May 29, 2007 5:36 PM

# re: Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the deat

As I assume promoters of this exhibit and others occasionally read through these comments, let me add this.

We're not going to this exhibit as I had been planning for 6 months. My son's teacher expressed disappointment in it, so I decided to do a little searching before buying the tickets - sound like I should thank my lucky stars.

I know promoters would like to defend themselves by concentrating on the mask, and the naiveté of those who would have expected to see it. However, I would still pay $30 to $40 without the mask if it were a worthwhile educational experience. Doesn't sound like this is what was put together.

Granted, I haven't seen the exhibit, but is it just possible that the sort of people that enjoy going to museums are not all that interested in the hype? Perhaps they just look forward to leaving with a bit more appreciation and a lot more knowledge. Beyond all these negative comments about the mask, I don't believe one of these reviews included praise for how much they LEARNED from the exhibit. I like Uforian's comments about museums these days:
"Museum-going is more and more like a trip to the fair. Step right up! Come inside, enjoy the ride! And -- apparently – only a real rube would expect everything in the funhouse to be exactly what's advertised...."

Left by Nancy on Jul 21, 2007 1:16 PM

# re: Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the deat

I agree this exhibit was a rip off. None of the "good stuff" I remember from the 70's show was present. It was a complete let down and a waste of money.

Left by mb on Sep 10, 2007 10:51 AM

# re: Review of King Tut (Tutankhamun) Exhibit in Chicago at the Field Museum- Underwhelming and misadvertised - Where is the deat

Went to the Philadelphia exhibition - I own a catalogue from the 70's exhibition and had high expectations - and therefore was UNDERWHELMED.
I was expecting the exhibition to build excitement for the mask - but instead of the mask there came the exit.

Left by Stefan on Sep 17, 2007 10:23 AM

# I loved it!

I've been to Philly exhibit and loved every bit of it. I knew that the mask wouldn't be a part of it, but decided it was still worth a visit, and hey - it was great! If you're still thinking whether it's worth the money - do yourself a favor and go there while it's still around, don't be discouraged by someone's unrealistic expectations (it's really not hard to find out what is and what isn't there). For those of us who haven't been to Cairo or to the seventies exhibit, this is a unique opportunity for a glimpse of Tut, so don't miss it! Enjoy. :)

Left by ubipacijentic on Sep 27, 2007 9:48 PM

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