The outer anthropoid coffin of Thuya, from the reign of Amenhotep III in Valley of the Kings Luxor museum in Cairo. More than 100 objects never before seen in North America are headed to San Francisco’s de Young Museum in “Treasures of the Pharaohs.”
Courtesy of Massimo Listri
San Francisco will be the first city in the United States to host an exhibition showcasing new discoveries from a famed “Golden City” in Ancient Egypt.
“Treasures of the Pharaohs” is slated to open Aug. 1, at the de Young Museum, and be on view through Jan. 31, 2027. The exhibition will span three millennia of Egyptian history — from the Early Dynastic Period to the Late Period — and include 130 objects that range from everyday items to royal treasures.
“For over three thousand years, the pharaohs of ancient Egypt sat at the center of a highly sophisticated society in which kingship, religion, and visual culture were inseparable,” FAMSF Director and CEO Thomas P. Campbell said in a statement. “Uniting 130 remarkable works of art, ranging from monumental granite statues to delicately crafted gold jewelry, ‘Treasures of the Pharaohs’ invites American audiences to explore the breadth of this civilization, from the apex of royal power to the objects of everyday life.”
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A painted limestone artifact of Inty-Shedu, the overseer of the boat of the goddess Neith. More than 100 objects never before seen in North America are headed to San Francisco’s de Young Museum in “Treasures of the Pharaohs.”
Courtesy of Massimo Listri
The exhibition is organized by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, which oversees both the de Young and Legion of Honor museums, the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas; the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of the Arab Republic of Egypt; and the Supreme Council of Antiquities in collaboration with ALES SpA, the in-house company of the Italian Ministry of Culture and MondoMostre.
“Treasures of the Pharaohs”: 9:30 a.m.-5:15 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. Aug 1-Jan. 31, 2027. $11-$20; free for children age 17 and younger. De Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, S.F. www.famsf.org
“Treasures of the Pharaohs” was curated by Tarek El Awady, former director of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, and originally presented at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome. The San Francisco iteration is curated by Renée Dreyfus, distinguished curator and the de Young’s George and Judy Marcus curator in charge of ancient art.
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“The Egyptian pharaohs were considered both deities and leaders. They ruled as kings, military leaders, and chief priests from about 3100 BC, when Egypt was unified, to 30 BC, when it was invaded by Rome,” Dreyfus explained in a statement. “As the exhibition reveals, their rule depended not only on their position but also on their families, those who served them, traditional symbols of power, and the religious beliefs that shaped their world and afterlife.”
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A pectoral pendant of Amenemope from the Tomb of Amenemope. More than 100 objects never before seen in North America are headed to San Francisco’s de Young Museum in “Treasures of the Pharaohs.”
Courtesy of Massimo Listri
The exhibition has received positive reviews, with Finestre sull’Arte calling it “sublime, solemn, seductive.”
“Treasures of the Pharaohs” is divided into six thematic sections, beginning with“The Gold of the Pharaohs,” which will feature precious jewelry and sacred objects like the golden sarcophagi of Queen Ahhotep and Pharaoh Psusennes I.
Artifacts from the “golden city” of Amenhotep III, rediscovered in 2021, will also be on view for the first time in North America. The city was the largest known in ancient Egypt, dating back to circa 1390-1352 BC, the time of Amenhotep III. It functioned as an administrative and industrial center but was abandoned by Amenhotep’s son Akhenaten, preserving it in time.
“People Around the Pharaoh” aims to examine the social order around the ruler, while “Kingship” will explain the Pharoah’s role in society. Statues of Sennefer, Ramses VI and Thutmose III are expected to be included.
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An armchair of Princess Sitamun from the reign of Amenhotep III. More than 100 objects never before seen in North America are headed to San Francisco’s de Young Museum in “Treasures of the Pharaohs.”
Courtesy of Massimo Listri
“Religion” will explore the spiritual art, rituals and politics of the civilization. “Recent Archaeological Discoveries” shifts the focus to highlight how new finds are changing historians’ understandings of the period and region.
The presentation concludes with “Life After Death,” which will focus on funeral practices and sacred objects connected to burial.
FAMSF’s most recent Egyptian exhibition was “Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs,” at the de Young from August 2022 to February 2023. Due to high demand, the show required timed tickets, and members were limited to one free visit. It drew 312,114 visitors during its run, making it the museum’s most attended exhibition since 2019.