The Wonders of Rock Art: LASCAUX AND AFRICA AT SCI-BONO DISCOVERY CENTRE
In a first for Africa, the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in Johannesburg, in collaboration with the French Embassy in Pretoria and the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), have brought a replica of the world-famous Lascaux cave paintings and the cave itself to South Africa.
T
he Palaeolithic cave paintings are around 17 000
in 1979. Today, extremely limited access is allowed to test for
years old and are mostly of large animals native
air quality only and to monitor the condition of the cave.
to the region at the time. They are regarded as masterpieces because of their outstanding quality
and sophistication. The Lascaux cave paintings were discovered in 1940 when a group of teenage boys stumbled upon them in the Dordogne region in southwestern France. The site was opened to the
In the Lascaux Exhibition, the work is shown as accurate, life-size and handmade replicas. Special lighting enables visitors to admire the masterpieces. The exhibition focuses on the five panels of the Lascaux Nave (the Great Black Cow, The Stags, the Crossed Bison, the Imprint) and the Shaft Scene. The replica amazes and fills with awe everyone who sees it.
public in 1948 and gained almost instant fame. More than a
It’s an exact reproduction of more than 2 000 figures painted
million people have visited the original cave since its opening
on the walls of the caves. They are on show at the Sci-Bono
and, by 1955, carbon monoxide, the heat and humidity of so
Discovery Centre until 1 October 2018, alongside prehistoric
many visitors had visibly damaged the artworks. Deteriorating
South African rock art, for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to
conditions caused fungi and lichen to grow on the walls.
engage with humanity’s earliest impulse for creative expression.
The cave was closed in 1963 to protect the priceless artwork. Lascaux was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites
50 / Creative Feel / July 2018
The world’s first examples of art and symbolism, found in Southern Africa, are more than 100 000 years old, while
