Ice Age Art Now Format: other

Showcases remarkable Ice Age art from Europe, highlighting ancient creativity and its influence on modern artists.

Ice Age art now presents work by people living in Europe at the end of the last Ice Age. These astounding pieces; some as much as 32; 000 years old; reveal the deep roots of drawing; sculpture; realism; abstraction; signs; symbols and more. Six thematic sections delve into specific artworks to highlighting the skill and vision of artists through objects such as a spear thrower made around 11; 000 years ago; which was ingeniously sculpted in the round from reindeer antler in the form of a clearly identifiable mammoth. The extraordinary skill and imagination of these early image makers find echoes in modern and contemporary art; with works by Goya; Rembrandt; Henri Matisse; David Hockney and Maggi Hambling also illustrated. A final section explores what life might have been like for the people making art at the time; immersing the reader in the cave itself.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Catalogue section:
1. Drawing
2. Sculpture
3. Decorated kit
4. Jewellery
5. Patterns
6. Female figures
Into the Cave
Further reading
Acknowledgements
Credits
Index

Jill Cook is the Keeper of the Britain, Europe and Prehistory Department at the British Museum. She curated the exhibition Ice Age Art: the arrival of the modern mind in 2013 and is the curator of the exhibition Ice Age Art Now at Cliffe Castle, Keighley, part of the Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture celebrations.