Harry Burton, Tutankhamun, and the Metropolitan's Egyptian Expedition
September 11-December 30, 2001
The Lila Acheson Wallace Galleries of Egyptian Art, Gallery for Special Exhibitions
When Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon opened the tomb of the ancient Egyptian king Tutankhamun in 1922, the spectacular find was captured in stunning and evocative detail by Harry Burton (1879-1940), the outstanding archaeological photographer of his day. This fall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art will present some 60 photographs—primarily by Burton—made between 1906 and 1939, documenting the excavation of King Tutankhamun's tomb and some of the other major archaeological finds in Egypt. The gelatin silver prints, which come from the photographic archives of the Department of Egyptian Art, have never been shown publicly.
Opening on September 11, The Pharaoh's Photographer: Harry Burton, Tutankhamun, and the Metropolitan's Egyptian Expedition will present the photographs in a dual role—as important historical documents and as works of art in their own right. Early film footage taken by Burton in the 1920s will also be shown.
Originally trained as an art photographer, Harry Burton was hired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art to make a photographic record of ancient Egyptian monuments at Thebes—including architecture, reliefs, and wall paintings—and to serve as the official photographer for the Museum's excavation team. His ability to convey the atmosphere of archaeological discovery was unsurpassed, whether in portrait-like images of Egyptian coffins or in the poignant scene of a carefully laid-out funerary offering.
When the tomb of Tutankhamun was discovered in 1922, the Museum's Egyptian Expedition offered the services of its staff to Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon, and Burton photographed the tomb and objects discovered there—some of his best-known work.
In the early 1920s, Burton also learned to use a motion picture camera, with which he also recorded the work of the Museum and of Carter and Carnarvon. Burton is credited with some of the earliest documentary film footage of life in the Nile valley. On view in the exhibition will be several examples of this work, including footage documenting the Museum's Egyptian Expedition, the opening of Tutankhamun's tomb, and scenes of daily life in Egypt.
Because of the importance of these works as documents of the Museum's excavations and in the history of Egyptology, as well as their artistic merit and their place in the history of photography, the Department of Egyptian Art and the Department of Photographs have collaborated on the organization of the exhibition.
The exhibition is organized by Catharine H. Roehrig, Associate Curator, Department of Egyptian Art, and Malcolm Daniel, Associate Curator and Administrator, Department of Photographs.
A variety of educational programs will be offered, including gallery talks, lectures, and a film series for general visitors and workshops for teachers.
The Web site of the Metropolitan Museum (www.metmuseum.org) will feature the exhibition.
The Pharaoh's Photographer: Harry Burton, Tutankhamun, and the Metropolitan's Egyptian Expedition complements Along the Nile: Early Photographs of Egypt, organized by the Museum's Department of Photographs, on view concurrently in The Howard Gilman Gallery.
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June 5, 2001
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