The Centre Pompidou inaugurates “Prehistory: A Modern Enigma”
Art has been omnipresent since the dawn of humanity: from the Lascaux cave to the Paleolithic Venus. Modern man has always studied and questioned the beginnings of civilization with great curiosity. Today, the Centre Pompidou is exhibiting a chronological survey, illustrating the links between Prehistory and Contemporary art. With “Prehistory: A Modern Enigma,” the Centre Pompidou exhibition presents 300 works—some created specifically for this occasion—including such icons as Paul Cézanne, Louise Bourgeois, Vassily Kandinsky and Pablo Picasso, as well as contemporary artists like Giuseppe Penone and Pierre Huyghe. All of these artists, and countless others, have been influenced by the reality—or the fantasy!—of Prehistory. Their works dialogue with emblematic prehistoric pieces, such as the Mammoth of the Madeleine or the Venus of Lespugue. The exhibition opens to the wider public on May 8, but a privileged few attended the private preview, notably Serge Lasvignes (President of the Centre Pompidou), Christian Boltanski and Théo Mercier (whose work is currently on view nearby at the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature).
