‘We haven't learnt a thing!’ - The art of the ice age

‘We have learnt nothing!’ This exclamation is attributed to Pablo Picasso when he entered the Lascaux cave for the first time. Even after more than 10,000 years, the wall art of the Palaeolithic is an overwhelming cultural testimony to the Ice Age. What prompted our ancestors to create these works of art? Can our modern concept of art even apply to these works? Why are some works visible to the public in the daylight area of caves and rock shelters, while others were placed deep in cave labyrinths, barely accessible? Are all depictions masterpieces? Why are there no depictions of humans? The Neanderthal Museum is in charge of the Wendel Collection, the largest photographic archive of Ice Age art from France and northern Spain.