NEWS FEATURE
Snøhetta’s International Centre for Cave Art opens in Lascaux with full-size replica of ‘Sistine Chapel of Prehistory’ Visitors embark on a journey 20,000 years into the past, says Kim Megson
A
dramatic new museum
Developed through advanced
celebrating some
Craig Dykers, Snøhetta founder
where there is a panoramic view of the surrounding valley. In groups of
of the world’s most
3D laser scanning and casting
no more than 30, they then descend
famous prehistoric
technologies, and recreated to a
a gentle slope, as if retracing the
cave art has opened at the Lascaux
tolerance of 1mm, the facsimile has
steps of the four young boys who
Cave complex in France.
been recreated by the Périgord
discovered the original cave, and
Facsimile Workshop (AFSP) with
then enter the facsimile.
The E66m (US$70.3m, £56.2m)
The building feels like neither landscape or architecture
the caves called Lascaux IV.
International Centre for Cave Art is
the same humidity, light, sound,
located in the town of Montignac-
smell and 16°C temperature as the
caves, they enter a bright outdoor
sur-Vézère, at the foot of the hill
UNESCO-protected original.
transitional Cave Garden – the
where the Lascaux caves – adorned
Over two years, 25 artists hand
After journeying through the
stark difference in atmosphere
with the highest concentration of
painted 900m (2,900ft) of resin
and light creating a juxtaposition
Paleolithic cave art in Europe –
rock reproductions, using the same
with the underground world. They
were discovered in 1940.
pigments the prehistoric painters
then enter four linked exhibition
used 20,000 years ago to recreate
rooms, including a 3D theatre,
1,900 cave paintings.
which explain the environmental
Within the new centre, designed by Norwegian architects Snøhetta and scenographers Casson Mann,
the lobby to the building’s rooftop,
and cultural context that paved the way for the creation of the cave art,
IMAGE: DENIS NIDOS
IMAGE: BOEGLY +GRAZIA
is a sensorily authentic replica of
Visitors to the centre ascend from
A near-perfect replica of the Lascaux caves has been created by the design team and local artists
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CLAD mag 2017 ISSUE 2