To Live Forever explores the age-old questions of immortality and life after death through the customs and funerary beliefs observed over nearly four thousand years. The exhibition answers questions about the afterlife, mummies, funerals, and tombs, as it illustrates the variety of strategies used to evade death and, ultimately gain eternal life. Open June 6 – September 12, 2010.

All ancient Egyptians desired to live after death but not everyone had access to the elaborate funeral equipment made for a king. Middle-class artisans and some poorer people made use of cheaper materials and secondhand items in providing for their tombs. In place of vast wealth, they substituted their own creativity to reach the afterlife.

To Live Forever is drawn from the extensive holdings of the Brooklyn Museum, one of the richest collections of Egyptian art in the world. More than 120 rare objects—including mummies, coffins, sarcophagi, statuary, jewelry, and funerary shrouds—trace the Egyptians’ efforts to outfit their tombs to please the gods, subdue death, and allow them to “live forever”.

To Live Forever offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to experience the full range and wonder of the best of ancient Egyptian art, right here in Tulsa.

For additional information:
www.philbrookmuseum.blogspot.com

Related posts:

1. To Live Forever: Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum
2. Brooklyn Museum Announces New Egyptian Installation
3. Exhibition of Pre-Columbian Funerary Art Opens at Egyptian Museum