``Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs'' Exhibition Sets Record Demand at the Museum of Art/Fort Lauderdale; Tickets Still Available for Visits Through April 23.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" exhibition, sponsored by Northern Trust, has become the most popular exhibit in the history of the Museum of Art/Fort Lauderdale (MoA/FL), with a record-breaking 380,000 tickets sold or reserved since they went on sale on October 18, 2005. Outselling two of the most recent blockbuster exhibits combined ("Diana, A Celebration" and "Saint Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes"), the Tutankhamun exhibition opened its doors on December 15, 2005. Organized by National Geographic, AEG Exhibitions, and Arts and Exhibitions International, with cooperation from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, and locally sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, the exhibition will remain at MoA/FL until April 23, 2006.

"We knew Floridians were excited for the arrival of Tut, but the positive response has been truly overwhelming, and unlike any other exhibit, tickets already are selling for February, March and even April," said Irvin M. Lippman, president and executive director for MoA/FL. "It is always a pleasure to watch an exhibition attract a new audience to the museum, and the people that come to see this exhibit have an undeniable passion for the boy king and his treasures."

There are still thousands of tickets available, and visitors are encouraged to book in advance and consider weekday timeslots for the most readily available tickets. Tickets are sold on a timed entry basis, and patrons are advised to arrive 15 minutes prior to their specified time. The average wait time visitors experience before entering the museum is approximately 30 minutes.

To accommodate the demand for tickets, the museum also has extended viewing hours on weekend evenings. The last entry time Thursdays through Sundays is now 8:30 p.m., and 9 p.m. on select Saturdays.

"With almost one third of the Museum of Art/Fort Lauderdale attendees visiting from out of the state, the King Tut exhibition is having a positive impact on area hotels. The downtown Riverwalk Arts and Entertainment district and Las Olas shops and restaurants are buzzing with new energy. This hugely important historic exhibition has elevated Greater Fort Lauderdale to an important level as a credible home for major cultural events. From Tutinis and chocolate pyramids to golden cuff bracelets, the Original King of Bling has turned this town into 'Tut Lauderdale,'" said Nicki E. Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Visitors to "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" can view more than 130 artifacts from the tombs of King Tut, several of his relatives and his 18th Dynasty (1555 B.C. to 1305 B.C.) contemporaries. All of the treasures in the exhibition are between 3,300 and 3,500 years old.

"Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" school group rates start at $14, and individual tickets range from $14 to $30. The exhibit is open seven days a week, and tickets are sold on a timed entry basis, with entry times every 30 minutes from 9 a.m. through 7:30 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays, and until 8:30 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays. For information on MoA/FL tickets, please call 1-877-TUT-TKTS or visit www.ticketmaster.com, www.KingTut.org or www.moafl.org. Tickets also can be purchased through the Broward Center for the Performing Arts at 1-877-787-7711. Due to high ticket demand, advance ticket purchase is strongly recommended. For more information on the exhibition, please visit www.KingTut.org.

ABOUT MUSEUM OF ART/FORT LAUDERDALE

On the strength of such exhibitions as "Saint Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes," "Diana: A Celebration," and now "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs," the Museum of Art/Fort Lauderdale has become one of South Florida's leading cultural institutions. Among its permanent collections are major works by the American Impressionist William Glackens and an extensive selection of CoBrA art from the movement based in Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam. In recent years the Museum has begun to collect contemporary work from Cuba and other Latin American countries. The Museum also hosts solo and group exhibitions presenting artists of regional, national, and international acclaim. An Artist in Residence program was inaugurated in 2004, guided docent tours are offered regularly, and there's a year-round Studio Arts Program with classes for all ages in a variety of media. Other programming includes jazz concerts, lectures and symposia, film series, and yoga sessions.