Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 December 2008
We print here the text of the Sixth McDonald Lecture, which Dr Jean Clottes delivered in Cambridge in November 1995. Dr Clottes is well-known as a leading figure in the study of Palaeolithic art, and has been closely involved with the recent discoveries at the Grotte Cosquer and Grotte Chauvet. In this article he discusses the key trends and advances in this field.