Sifting Ancient Fact from Modern Fable

Birmingham Post
February 11, 2011

ENGLAND - The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum's Secret Egypt exhibition has been curated by Chris Kirby, an Egyptologist and Head of Collections at the Herbert, together with his co-curator, and Keeper of Collections, Ali Wells. Their aim was to create a showcase that stood out from other exhibitions, from the conventional displays of art or religious and historical objects. “We wanted to take a subject that is generally well known but just approach it in a provocative and exciting way,” says Chris. He was inspired by how much resonance the period still has today, that it continues to be a source of ideas for everything from blockbuster films, like Raiders, Stargate or The Mummy, to adverts for comparison websites. “It has a got a lot of power in our society, it is something that people relate to. But there are misconceptions and misunderstandings about Ancient Egypt. In the exhibition we look at some of these enduring myths and at the evidence behind them, then we ask the visitor to reassess that evidence.” [link]