Art’s Origins: Global, Not Just American or European

Art predates continents as we know them. Prehistoric art appears on every inhabited continent—cave paintings in Indonesia (40k+ years), Europe (Lascaux, Chauvet), Africa (Apollo 11, Blombos), Americas (Serra da Capivara), Australia (Kimberley). Each culture developed distinct traditions shaped by environment, belief, and material. No single region “invented” art.