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MAGIC HUNT Vogüé—The Chauvet Cave, discovered in the cliffs along a meander of the Ardèche River in 1994, was immediately recognized as an archaeological site of exceptional importance. The four hundred Upper Paleolithic paintings and engravings in it that were produced some 31,000 years ago are unique in their quality and diversity. In conjunction with the upcoming opening of a facsimile cave that will allow the public to experience the site, a series of exhibitions, produced in association with the Musée du Quai Branly, will highlight this fabulous patrimony. The approach taken by these exhibitions is a perspective of intercultural dialog that transcends space and time and raises fascinating questions. Can our knowledge of African, Oceanic, and American Indian cultures enlighten us on the lives and thinking of prehistoric European man—and vice versa? The exhibition’s organizers have remained vague, examining resonances and similarities without insisting on strict correlations. The first show in the series, titled Chasses Magiques, les Arts Premiers Dialoguent avec la Grotte Chauvet en Ardèche (Magic Hunts – Tribal Art in Dialogue with the Chauvet Cave in Ardèche) and on view from July 2–November 13, 2013, at the Château de Vogüé, opens the debate with an exploration of the millennia-old and universal practice of hunting. Using works from Africa, Oceania, and the Americas as a springboard, the exhibition will have three themes: “magic” (communication with animals and the establishment of strategies for their capture or protection), “headhunting” (understood as a ritual, religious, and political practice), and the “invisible hunt” (the capture and control of spirits and other supernatural forces). The perspectives of Yves Le Fur and Jean-Michel Geneste, the latter being the curator and academic consultant for the exhibition, will undoubtedly provide a stimulating dialog between periods and civilizations. MUSEUM news TOP: Zoomorphic power figure, nkisi. Kongo, Congo. Musée du Quai Branly, inv. 71.1892.70.5. © Musée du Quai Branly. Photo: Claude Germain. ABOVE: Hunting trophy. Mentawai, Indonesia. Musée du Quai Branly, inv. 70.2001.27.2201. © Musée du Quai Branly. Photo: Claude Germain. LEFT: Hook figure. Ymar, Karawari, Papua New Guinea. Musée du Quai Branly, inv. 70.2007.41.1. © Musée du Quai Branly. Photo: Thierry Ollivier, Michel Urtado. RIGHT: Boli. Bamana, Mali. Musée du quai Branly, inv. 73.1967.6.1. © Musée du Quai Branly, photo Claude Germain.


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