Dark Caves, Bright Visions: Life in Ice Age Europe (Exhibition)

Exist Dates

1986 October 23 - 1987 January 18

Biographical or Historical Note

abstract

Exhibition. Opened in October 23, 1986 and closed January 18, 1987. Located in Section 3, Floor 3 in Gallery 3 at the American Museum of Natural History. "Dark Caves, Bright Visions: Life in Ice Age Europe" was an exhibition displaying a wide array of original Paleolithic artifacts.

Summary

"Dark Caves, Bright Visions: Life in Ice Age Europe" was an exhibition displaying a wide array of original Paleolithic artifacts. Some 400 paintings, etchings, sculptures and tools were drawn from leading institutions and private lenders in Europe and North America. Among the cooperating institutions were the Musee des Antiquities Nationales, St. Germain-en-Laye, France and the Musee de L'Homme, Paris. A number of significant artifacts from the American Museum were also included. The exhibition examined the origins of modern culture that first emerged in the hunting and gathering societies of the Upper Paleolithic period. The artifacts were organized to give viewers an impression of the strategies for survival, social structure, world view, artistic achievement and technological advances of the first Homo sapiens sapiens. Included in the exhibition was one of the earliest known musical instruments and one of the first calendars. Also included was a reconstruction of a dwelling modeled after a 15,000-year-old hunting structure. Another highlight was the "Venus of Lespugue," a female figure created during the late Ice Age. The project director of the exhibit was Ian Tattersall, the then-Curator in the American Museum's Department of Anthropology. The exhibition curator was Randall White, Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at New York University. The exhibit was on view in Gallery 3 of the American Museum of Natural History from October 23, 1986 through January 18, 1987.

Individuals and institutions involved in the creation of the exhibition: Musee des Antiquites Nationales, St. Germain-en-Laye, France; Musee de L'Homme, Paris; Randall White; Ian Tattersall; AMNH Department of Anthropology

Sources

American Museum of Natural History Press Release, November 27, 1985. Departmental Records, 101; American Museum of Natural History Library Archives.

American Museum of Natural History Press Release: Fact Sheet, September 4, 1986. Departmental Records, 101; American Museum of Natural History Library Archives.

American Museum of Natural History Press Release, April 21, 1986. Departmental Records, 101; American Museum of Natural History Library Archives.

American Museum of Natural History Press Release, August 28, 1986. Departmental Records, 101; American Museum of Natural History Library Archives.

---

Related Corporate, Personal, and Family Names

American Museum of Natural History. Gallery 3.
Location of exhibition.

---