Chauvet Cave Paintings

Unknown (Paleolithic)30,000-32,000 BCPigment on cave walls

ArtistUnknown (Paleolithic)

Year30,000-32,000 BC

MediumPigment on cave walls

LocationChauvet Cave, France

About Chauvet Cave Paintings

The oldest known figurative cave paintings. Feature lions, rhinos, mammoths, and bears. Show sophisticated composition and movement. Preserved by a rockfall 20,000 years ago. Featured in Werner Herzogs Cave of Forgotten Dreams. No public access to protect the paintings.

Related Artworks

Altamira Cave Paintings

Unknown (Paleolithic)14,000-18,000 BC

Called the Sistine Chapel of Paleolithic Art. Discovered in 1868, initially dismissed as a hoax. Fea...