By Brian Freeman

The Birmingham Museum of Art is one of the South’s most important Museums. The Museum is an 180,000 square feet and has a nationally recognized collection of more than 21,000 works of art dating back from ancient to modern. These include paintings, sculptures, graphic arts, and decorative arts from any diverse cultures. On October 14, 2007 a truly amazing exhibit opened at the Birmingham Museum. The Pompeii: Tales from an Eruption opened with lots of press and praise. Pompeii: Tales from an Eruption tells the stories of the final days of Pompeii and the nearby resort cities of Herculaneum, Oplontis and Terzigno following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

The traveling exhibition, which is on loan from the collections of the National Archaeological Museum in Naples and the Archaeological Superintendent in Pompeii, will only visit three other museums in United States. The exhibit features large-scale frescoes, mosaics, with body casts and skeletons shown in the context in which they were found as the pyroclastic surges’ ash and superheated gases engulfed the people of Pompeii. Excavated from 1780 through present day, many of these artifacts have never toured outside Italy. At 10,000 square feet and with 500 artifacts including room size
frescoes and body casts the exhibit takes about an hour and half to visit. The exhibit is not free but is reasonable price for an exhibit of this stature. The price for admission is $16 for adults; $8 for children under 12 accompanied by adult; $14 for college students (with I.D.) and senior citizens (65 years and over); $8 at the door for active members of the U.S. military (with ID). The price admission also includes the audio device which during the tour of the exhibit can be used to acquire addition information about an object. One major down fall to the exhibit is no camera policy.

As you walk through the exhibit you’re offered a rare glimpse of life in the ancient world. There is a large collection of tools, jewelry, and even a Doctors surgical kit found. The perfect reds, olives, and blues to enhance visitors emotional to the body casts Citizens clutched their most precious possessions, including exquisitely designed jewelry, coins and the tools of their trade.

The Pompeii: Tales from an Eruption is a traveling exhibit and will on January 27, 2008 which makes it a must see attraction. After leaving Birmingham, the exhibition will travel to the Houston Museum of Fine Art. Houston is the venue on its international tour. Once it was spent its time in Houston the exhibit will retire to Naples, Italy. After seeing the exhibit one is left with a lasting impression of how quickly life can tragically be taken away. This exhibit offers an emotional and life changing experience that no one should miss.