Fascinatingly, these occurred during Nixon’s presidency, in 1974-right around the early stages of the Watergate investigations.Īs mentioned previously, several other touring exhibitions have occurred over the decades. Via the creation of a banner exhibition, officials hoped primarily to change public perceptions of Egypt from war-torn to cultural mecca.Ī few years after these talks with the UK, Egypt and the United States entered similar negotiations. This breakout touring show came about as part of a new series of diplomatic efforts between Egypt and Western countries, starting with the United Kingdom early on in the 70s.
Although other traveling exhibitions such as Tutankhamun Treasure (1961-67) had already occurred-and many others have since-no other exhibition has generated nearly as much attention and excitement. The most significant touring exhibition centered on the boy-king was The Treasures of Tutankhamun (1972–1981). Ever since, the ancient pharaoh and the treasures he was buried with have played a central role in Western imaginations of the historical and exotic. The near-perfect preservation of the tomb’s 5,398 artifacts fascinated the world. King Tutankhamun-or King Tut-first entered the Western zeitgeist in 1922, when his tomb was opened by the British archaeologist Howard Carter and his financier the fifth Earl of Carnarvon.
