The paintings in Font de Gaume include depictions of more than 80 bison, approximately 40 horse depictions, and more than 20 mammoth depictions.
Why do painters paint, sculptors hammer figures from stone, or photographers record snapshots of the modern world?
The cave was discovered on 12 September 1940 by four teenagers, Marcel Ravidat, Jacques Marsal, Georges Agnel, and Simon Coencas, as well as Ravidat’s dog, Robot. By 1955, the carbon dioxide produced by 1,200 visitors per day had visibly damaged the paintings.
The cave was closed to the public in 1963 in order to preserve the art.
Join us to discover the top twenty most fascinating prehistoric cave paintings.