Artist creates pyramid to welcome back Tut

LONDON, July 5 (UPI) -- Thousands of international school children are helping pop artist Romero Britto create a 45 foot pyramid in honor of King Tut's anticipated return to London.

The long-dead Egyptian pharoah has been touring the world for 35 years and will make a stop at England's new O2 exhibition center this fall.

Single tickets for the eagerly awaited "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" exhibition will go on sale to the public Sept. 12, ahead of a Nov. 15 opening.

More than 180,000 tickets for the blockbuster exhibition have already been reserved or sold in the United Kingdom.

About 1,500 children joined Britto at The O2 Thursday to paint panels for his tribute to the Pyramids at Giza, said a press release issued by Project Pyramid organizers.

Thousands of other children have said they would like to make an artistic contribution to the project, and those who do will have their names and schools inscribed on the base of the pyramid.

When the project is complete, the pyramid will travel from the artist's studio in Miami to London to be unveiled at a ceremony in October.