60K bees help Dutch artist in creating statue of Nefertiti

CAIRO – 24 January 2021: Passion for the ancient Egyptian civilization is still taking the world by storm. Recently, a Dutch artist used 60,000 bees, along with their beeswax and honeycomb, to recreate the bust of Nefertiti.

My Modern Met website stated that Nefertiti is one of the most famous figures in ancient Egypt, along with the pharaoh Akhenaten, who lead an era of tumultuous religious unrest.

Dutch artist Tomás-Libertine spent two years building the "new queen", beginning with building a 3D model of the original bust before being provided assistance from the 60,000 bees that brought the piece back to life.

The two-year process took place along several phases, and was shown at Kunst Hal in Rotterdam in the summer of 2019 as a live installation. During this time, visitors had the opportunity to observe the bee building process for the museum's artwork.

Queen Nefertiti head bust made of honeycomb & beeswax - Press photo

The bee colony occupied the empty frame and added honeycomb and beeswax, slowly giving the statue its shape.

The bees colony occupying the empty frame - Press photo

In 2020, the open-air bust was completed in Slovakia and was exhibited as part of the Melancholia Solo exhibition of Tomás Libertine at the Rademakers Gallery in Amsterdam.

The final head bust exhibited - Press photo

Libertine says natural beeswax is one of the most durable natural materials, and this statue will “easily last for thousands of years” if kept in a suitable environment.