The Legion of Honor is preparing for a new exhibit that will open October 31, called “Very Postmortem: Mummies and Medicine”. (I love that a show on mummies opens on Halloween!)

Part of that preparation took place this week, as researchers transported an unusual patient to Stanford Hospital for an advanced, whole body CT scan. Who was the patient? Iret-net Hor-irw, which means “The Eye of Horus is Upon You”. He was an Egyptian priest that has been dead for close to 2,500 years.

According to an article in the SF Chronicle, “He was probably about 20 when he died in the major Egyptian cult city of Akhmim, where thousands of other mummies have been a major source of respectful research by archaeologists and anthropologists for decades.”

The CT scan recorded thousands of x-ray images of the mummy, allowing researchers to see what the mummy looks like under its layers of thick linen and tree sap, used by Egyptians in the mummification process. With the pictures they captured, they will be able to not only see the body, but also the mummy’s ceremonial ornaments with which it was buried, rituals surrounding the death, and perhaps what may have ended the priest’s life.

The upcoming exhibition at the de Young will examine the cultural practices of ancient medical care and death rituals in Egypt. Some of the CT images from the priest will be on display, along with a clay reconstruction of his face so visitors can get a sense of what he looked like some 2,500 years earlier.

The video below from KGO-TV shows the scan taking place at Stanford Hospital and includes some interesting looks at the x-rays as well as the mummy’s burial ornaments and objects. And the photo set shows Irethorrou being removed from his home in Stockton’s Haggin Museum, where it’s been on loan from the de Young since 1944.

Sarah B.

As part of their “Friday Nights” program and in keeping with their current King Tut exhibition, the de Young will screen the 1954 film “The Egyptian” tonight. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Mika Waltari.

Here’s the film’s synopsis from IMDB.com:

In eighteenth-dynasty Egypt, Sinuhe, a poor orphan, becomes a brilliant physician and with his friend Horemheb is appointed to the service of the new Pharoah. Sinuhe’s personal triumphs and tragedies are played against the larger canvas of the turbulent events of the 18th dynasty. As Sinuhe is drawn into court intrigues, and bizarre secrets are revealed to him, he learns the answers to the questions he has sought since his birth.

The movie will be shown in the de Young’s Koret Auditorium at 6:15pm. Admission is free.

Friday Nights at the de Young offers a variety of interdisciplinary arts programs, including live music, poetry, films, dance, tours, and lectures. The cafe is open with a special Friday Nights dinner menu, and a no-host cocktail bar is serving drinks.

Other events going on tonight, all free as well, include:

- Live music and dance by Samba Rio, featuring pagode and samba de roda. Pagode is a small-ensemble style of samba that was born in Rio de Janeiro. Samba is deeply rooted in Brazilian culture and its African influences.

- Hands-on art making fun for everyone, with “art diva” Kim Erickson. Pretend you’re in Rio for Carnival. Make your own colorful Carnival mask and dance the samba!

- Closing Reception for Artist-in-Residence John Kuzich, Imagination. Refreshments are served while they last. Kimball Education Gallery, Artist Studio, 6-8:30pm.

Sarah B.

Normally when I go to a museum, I look at the title card next to a piece, read the description, and then gloss over the name of the owner/donor since it very rarely means anything to me.

This changed recently when some family friends, David Davies and John (Jack) Weeden, donated their photography collection to the de Young Museum. Their pieces comprise the majority of an exhibit that opened in June called “Toward Abstraction: Photographs and Photograms”, which features the work of Edward Weston, Arthur Siegel, Harry Callahan, Lee Friedlander, Imogen Cunningham, and Robert Mapplethorpe.

I sat with them recently to talk about the de Young show and their passion for collecting.

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David Davies and Jack Weeden are collectors. Their passion for it has covered many genres of art and objects, ranging from antique weather vanes to automobile hood ornaments to doorstops.

Of the two, Davies is the more passionate and competitive about collecting, and says “when you see something and you think it’s great, you have to have it. It’s a search and once it’s in your possession, the game is won”.

Their interest in photography began in the 1970′s, when they struck up a friendship with Jeffrey Fraenkel, a tenant in a building that they owned. Fraenkel was just opening up his now world famous Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco, and Davies was intrigued by the photographic art.

Specifically, David wondered how one photograph could be next to another, both nearly identical, and one is worth a lot of money, but the other is not.

Fraenkel explained the difference between a vintage photo and a regular photo. A vintage photograph is more valuable because it’s developed, printed and signed by the photographer at the time it was taken. And it’s never printed again. He told David that if he was going to get into collecting, “you should only deal in vintage”.

Davies was intrigued but a little put off by the artificial hierarchy of photography collecting. At the time he thought, “This is ridiculous, I can’t tell the difference between vintage and regular”.

Nevertheless, he heeded Fraenkel’s advice and another collection began to accumulate in the Davies/Weeden household. They didn’t know at first that their real passion would lie with abstract photographs, and some of their early acquisitions tended toward representational photography.

Their first collectible was a print of “Two Ladies at the Automat”, a 1966 photo by Diane Arbus. Even after twenty plus years of collecting photographs, it remains Davies’ favorite (note that this photo is not in the de Young show).

The foundation for their abstract photography collection came via a fortuitous rejection from the Getty Museum. In the early 1970′s when the museum was preparing to open, an art dealer in Chicago presented a series of Arthur Siegel photographs for their new photography department. The Getty turned it down and after viewing it, Davies and Weeden bought the collection for themselves. Davies says “at the time, [Siegel's work] was not too recognized”.

There are many Siegels in the de Young show, including several of the artist’s photograms. Taking abstraction to the extreme, a photogram “is a photographic image made without a camera by placing objects directly onto the surface of a photo-sensitive material such as photographic paper and then exposing it to light” [Wikipedia]. Interesting shapes, shadows and light play across these pieces in the show.

The “Toward Abstraction” show also features a few photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe, a controversial artist best known for his erotic, sometimes shocking photography.

One piece in the show, entitled “Thomas (Back)”, shows the back of a man’s muscular torso, with linear shadows falling across it. This is one of Weeden’s favorites, as he explains that “just as you might like a Greek statue, it’s a beautiful shot of the body”.

Davies and Weeden met and befriended the late Mapplethorpe, here in San Francisco while he was showing at the Fraenkel Gallery, and another time in New York.

While in New York, Davies invited Mapplethorpe to join them at their weekend farmhouse to which the photographer replied “That’s very nice and I probably would enjoy it. But you know, I’m dying and I really don’t have time for new friends”. Davies chuckles at the memory and says “Now, what do you say to that?”

If there is any theme to their collection apart from abstraction, it’s the city of New York. Though the two call San Francisco their home, they keep a second home in New York and travel there often. “Atom Bomb Sky, New York City (1955)” by William Klein is a photograph of the city from high over midtown, with a blistering sun that casts eerie shadows over the cityscape.

Another photograph entitled “Right of Assembly (1939)” by Arthur Siegel looks from afar like a series of white dots on a black landscape. Up close you realize it’s a crowd shot of hundreds of United Auto Workers taking part in a union strike in Siegel’s hometown of Detroit, Michigan. It’s this element of “what you see is not always what you get” that makes this collection so interesting.

Another multi-layered and well known photo in the show is “Wilmington, Delaware (1965)” by Lee Friedlander. On first glance it’s a simple photo of an armchair in the sun. Viewed more closely, it becomes a self-portrait of the artist as his shadow falls across the frame and his shoes are reflected in the storefront glass, as if he’s sitting in the chair.

Friedlander’s photo is an example of Davies’ love affair with shadows in photography. “I love shadows, you’ll see many of them in these photographs where the figure is in the shadows and it’s competing with the images themselves”.

What comprises Davies’ and Weeden’s collection has more to do with what moves them than what’s popular in the world of photography. When asked what made him pick a particular photo, Davies replies “I just like that photograph, it doesn’t have anything to do with whether it’s a renowned artist. I just love the print”.

Their collection is comprised only of black and white photography. “Never collected anything in color, it’s a whole other world” Davies explained.

After a couple of decades, Davies and Weeden found that their collection was bigger than they could reasonably enjoy. While many collectors painstakingly rotate the art in their homes, the pair soon tired of the task and decided that what was on the walls would just stay there; the other pieces would stay in storage.

As a result, some of the photos donated to the de Young arrived wrapped in their original brown paper from the galleries where they were purchased. The two are still surprised by some of the pieces they see in the exhibit. During a recent visit to the de Young, Davies pointed and said “Good god, is this one ours?” and Weeden replied “Yes, it says so on the card!”.

Davies and Weeden continued collecting into the early 1990′s, until prices for vintage photographs “became ridiculously expensive”. The bulk of their collection was purchased from the Fraenkel Gallery here in San Francisco.

All told, their collection includes just over a hundred photographs. Seventy five were given to the de Young, of which only about two dozen are in the “Toward Abstraction” show, along with selections borrowed from the Paul Sack Photographic Trust.

Eventually the balance of their collection will go to the de Young as well. But, Davies says with a chuckle, “I have to die first”.

“Toward Abstraction: Photographs and Photograms” runs until November 15, 2009 at the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park.

Special thanks to David Davies and Jack Weeden for making this article possible.

Sarah B.

Alicia! She sent in the correct answers to the two trivia questions and was drawn at random from the correct entries. Congratulations, Alicia and have a great time at the show!

Here are the answers to the trivia questions:

1) Why is Tut’s famous gold mask not in the de Young show and where is it currently located?
During the 1980s, the Egyptian government declared that the Gold Mask of Tutankhamun was a national treasure and too fragile to travel. As such, it will never leave Egypt again. Today, the Gold Mask resides at its permanent home, the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. It and the other 5,000 artifacts from Tut’s tomb, including his solid-gold inner coffin, will soon be housed in a new museum, the Grand Egyptian Museum, being built by the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities alongside the pyramids in Giza.

2) Where is King Tutankhamun’s mummy?
Tutankhamun’s mummy still rests in his tomb, in a climate-controlled case, in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor. His mummy, three nested coffins and stone sarcophagus have never traveled outside of Egypt. In fact, the mummy was so badly damaged when archaeologists originally removed the Gold Mask and wrappings, that it has only been allowed to leave the tomb four times since 1924: once for CT-scanning and three times for x-raying.

Both answers could be found in an article on the Tut San Francisco website.

Thanks to all of you who entered. Even though you didn’t win, I hope you’ll go see the show. Remember, Tut at Twilight on Tuesday and Wednesday nights offers discounted admission.

Walk like an Egyptian,

Sarah B.

King Tut’s mummy in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings

A special giveaway just for Richmondsfblog readers!

I have a pair of VIP tickets to the “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of Pharoahs” exhibit at the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. VIP tickets entitle you to see the exhibit anytime – no waiting, no lines. Just show your VIP tickets at the door and in you go.

To enter to win the pair of VIP tickets, find the answers to the Tut trivia questions below and then use the email form here on the site to send them in by noon on Wednesday, August 5. The winner will be drawn randomly from all correct entries.

TUT TRIVIA QUESTIONS:

1) Why is Tut’s famous gold mask not in the de Young show and where is it currently located?

2) Where is King Tutankhamun’s mummy?

Even if you don’t win the VIP tickets, you should still check out this historic collection of artifacts. Just last week, the museum extended their Tut at Twilight program to two nights a week, Tuesday and Wednesday, through September 30.

Tut at Twlight offers discounted admission ($20 for adults, seniors, students, and groups, and $15 for youth 6–17 and FAMSF members), convenient parking, evening views from the de Young’s observation tower, and a special prix fixe menu at the de Young Cafe ($14 per person, $21 with wine).

More on Tut at Twilight + ticket info

And if an evening visit doesn’t suit your schedule, you can see the exhibit daily from 9am–9pm (last ticket at 7:30 pm). Due to the large crowds, the museum recommends purchasing tickets in advance online or at the museum box office. Admission to the show also includes admission to the other de Young galleries.

For more information on the Tut exhibit, visit the official website.

Sarah B.

[Via SF Chronicle]

While Paris’ Musee d’Orsay undergoes extensive renovations starting next year, the de Young will host back-to-back shows of Impressionism and Post-Impression art from the Musee, showcasing more than 200 works from their historic collection.

John Buchanan, director of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and a French-art enthusiast, called the touring shows “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” and “a real-time, picture-book walk-through of this glorious period in French art.” The exhibitions will begin shortly after the current Tut exhibit closes.

The first exhibit, “Birth of Impressionism: Masterpieces From the Musee d’Orsay” will run from May 22, 2010, through September 6. This show will focus on 1874 Paris exhibition of Impressionist painters and feature well-known works such as Manet’s “The Fife Player” and James McNeil Whistler’s “Arrangement in Gray and Black No. 1″ (better known as “Whistler’s Mother”).

The second exhibit, “Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cezanne and Beyond: Post-Impressionist Masterpieces From the Musee d’Orsay” runs September 25, 2010 to January 18, 2011. Highlights include such art-history staples as van Gogh’s “Starry Night” and “The Artist’s Bedroom at Arles” along with Rousseau’s rarely lent “The Snake Charmer” and several striking Tahitian paintings by Gauguin.

San Francisco will be the only city to host both of the Orsay’s traveling exhibits; other stops include Madrid, Tokyo and Nashville.

And if you are planning a trip to Paris, don’t worry, the Musee d’Orsay will remain open during its renovations. The Orsay, housed in a glorious, converted train station, will begin closing off some areas in December and will shut off the upper galleries for a year beginning in March 2010. The Post-Impressionist paintings that aren’t traveling will be moved to the terrace level. During renovations, 50-60 percent of the museum space will be in use.

Sarah B.

Jill at the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park tipped me off to a special event tomorrow night.

On Friday night, Guy Cogeval, the President of the Musee d’Orsay in Paris is speaking at 7pm on “Sneak Peek — Behind the Scenes at the Musee d’Orsay.” He’ll discuss the upcoming renovation of the Musee as well as the two special exhibitions coming to the de Young next summer – Birth of Impressionism and Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cezanne and Beyond. The de Young will be the only museum in the world to receive both of them.

The lecture is free. Seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Sarah B.

A nice video about the Musee d’Orsay, displaying some of its amazing collection:

In its most recent issue, 7×7 magazine highlights their top 10 things to do in 10 San Francisco neighborhoods, aka “The Big To-Do SF: 10 ‘Hoods, 100 Things”. Here are the Richmond District to-dos that made their list:

1. Watch the surfers at Kelly’s Cove.

2. Browse the art books at Park Life.

3. See a double feature at the 4 Star Theatre. [Double features are also back at the Balboa Theater too.]

4. Be thankful for Green Apple Books, the ultimate independent bookstore.

5. Pick out a fish from the tank for dinner at New May Wah market [711 Clement Street].

6. Have a bowl of ramen and listen to the Shitones at Halu Restaurant [312 8th Ave near Clement].

7. Jockey for position at Pizzetta 211 [211 23rd Avenue].

8. Drop in on a seisiún (a kind of Irish open jam session held every Sunday) at the Plough & Stars [116 Clement at 2nd Ave.].

9. Bike the length of Golden Gate Park on Sunday when JFK Drive is closed to cars.

10. Check out the natural wonders at the California Academy of Sciences, or the latest exhibit at the de Young.

What would make your top 10 list for the Richmond? Leave it here in a comment.

Sarah B.

[Thanks to Green Apple Core blog for the tip.]