On Sunday, my family and I attended Pharaoh: King of Ancient Egypt at the Cleveland Museum of Art. The exhibition has been running since March 13th, and the exhibition will close on June 12th. I was home for the weekend, I wanted to make a routine stop at the museum, and since I had missed the Monet exhibit a few months back, I really wanted to see what this exhibit had to offer. Egyptian art is something that is ever present in our culture, it is what many westerners think of as “exotic” and a large part of the Middle East culture. Egypt has had a huge influence on both Middle Eastern and African cultures.
Upon walking it, you learned that this exhibit would be all about the Pharaohs of Egypt, and boy there were a lot of them. Sure, we know Ramses, Khufu, Tutankhamun and if you have studied ancient Egypt, you know about girl boss rulers like Hatshepsut. The pieces in the exhibit were a mix from Cleveland’s collection, mixed with many pieces on loan from the British Museum. Cleveland’s collection on its own is extensive and covers a vast range of Egyptian history. There were sections that showed the life inside the palace, life at war, and even the outside invaders like Alexander the Great from Greece.
The Ancient Egyptians had an eye for detail, in everything from their famous Sarcophagi, to something as small as charms on a necklace. Pieces like The Palette of Namer really stood out, because of the detail in something so simple like a makeup palette. This was also present in other small, intricate things like rings and necklaces, one piece showing three cats resting on a pendant. The hieroglyphics impressed the people around us, a woman next to me pointing out how similar the same symbols were, almost as if there were stamped in. There was no “handwriting” per say, no individual style in the symbols as if everyone had taken the same handwriting class and there was no variation allowed.
The exhibit was spread across many rooms, and it was very easily walkable, allowing for time to stop at the pieces that caught your eye. The cards next to the pieces were detailed, but offered less history than to be desired. In my opinion, unless you had some understanding of Egyptian history before visiting the exhibit, it could be challenging to have a clear timeline of the artwork. It seemed by the fifth or sixth room, the long names of the kings and queens seemed to blend together. Aesthetically, the art was very enjoyable, but if you are looking for an in-depth history lesson, research prior to attending.
Overall, for this being my second exhibition I have seen at the Cleveland Museum of Art, I would rate it an eight out of ten. The art is phenomenal, and if you are looking to gain some knowledge you totally will. You will see the “stereotypical” art, hieroglyphics, sarcophagi, but you will walk away with a better knowledge of how the pharaohs lived their extravagant lives, and maybe something you never knew before. And after exploring the exhibit, you can wander around the rest of the museum -- it’s free.
