To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series, the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), in a collaboration with the British Museum, presents ‘Pharaoh’, celebrating three thousand years of ancient Egyptian art and culture.

Visitors will be transported into an ancient world, with 500 works on loan from the British Museum, including monumental sculpture, tomb and temple architecture, coffins and funerary objects, as well as a significant display of exquisite ancient Egyptian jewellery.

Pharaoh

Spanning from the 1st Dynasty (circa 3000 BCE) to the Roman period (third century CE), Pharaoh explores the fascinating lives, myths and images of the successive rulers of ancient Egypt.

“Pharaoh seeks to introduce a new generation of visitors to the perennially fascinating visual culture of ancient Egypt through an unprecedented exhibition of sculpture, architecture, jewellery and more from the British Museum in London,” says NGV director, Tony Ellwood AM.

Curated especially for the National Gallery of Victoria by the British Museum as part of the Victorian Government’s Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series, Pharaoh is the largest international exhibition the British Museum has ever presented in its 270-year history. 

“The NGV’s exhibition will place precedence on the exceptional craftsmanship of the ancient Egyptians, highlighting their refined artistic sensibility and technical skill,” says Ellwood. 

Program highlights 

Pharaoh explores the fascinating lives, myths and images of the successive rulers of ancient Egypt through exquisitely crafted examples of art, design and architecture. 

The works on display were originally commissioned by and celebrate some of Egypt’s most famous kings and queens, including the boy king Tutankhamun; Ramses II and Queen Nefertari; Khufu, builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza; as well as foreign leaders such as Alexander the Great.

“Shining a light on the wonder of ancient Egypt, Pharaoh is an international exclusive exhibition that’s set to captivate visitors next winter, drawing crowds from across the state, country and beyond,” says Minister for Creative Industries, Tourism, Sport and Major Events, The Hon. Steve Dimopoulos.

Melbourne exclusive 

This Melbourne-exclusive presentation will be the single largest ancient Egyptian exhibition ever displayed in Australia, with many of the works displayed in Australia for the very first time. 

British Museum keeper, Egypt and Sudan, Daniel Antoine is thrilled to share the collection with the Australian public.

“The British Museum’s collection of ancient Egyptian objects – one of the most comprehensive outside of Egypt – tells the fascinating story of life and death in the ancient Nile Valley in unparalleled depth and breadth,” says Antoine.

Pharaoh is on display from 14 June-6 October 2024 at NGV International.

Images supplied by NGV.

Discover the NGV Triennial this December.