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Home > ATLarts > Archives > 2008 > August > 12 > Entry
Tut and the Blockbusters: Love ‘em or Hate ‘em?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It all started in the late 1970s with the first national tour of artifacts from King Tutankhamen’s tomb. Since then, museums have staged huge, money-making exhibits of everything from motorcycles to Picasso.
This fall, Atlanta will get two biggies: the new “Tut” and an exhibit of the famous Chinese terracotta warriors. According to our latest story thousands of people have already signed up for tickets to these heavily-promoted blockbusters.
Are you eagerly awaiting the arrival of the terracotta army and the belongings of the boy king? Or would you prefer to avoid the crowds and keep the $32.50? (That’s the current price for Tut in Dallas.)
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Comments
By BPJ
August 12, 2008 5:25 PM | Link to this
Oh, let’s don’t make this a “love ‘em/hate ‘em” issue. Exhibitions with wide popular appeal are an important part of any large museum’s programming; even the Met does them. The key is balancing these with exhibits which show us work which is not in the “blockbuster” category, and both the High and the Carlos do so (see the Houdon, the “After 1968”, and the Sheila Pree Bright at the High, and the Nubian exhibit now at the Carlos).
Perhaps the more interesting question is the role media coverage plays: if the blockbusters get big, front-page coverage, and the more scholarly and innovative shows get a small review on page E-17 (or no coverage at all), doesn’t this encourage museums to tilt the balance toward the familiar?