Carole Fritz. © Gilles Tosello

Specialist in prehistoric art

Head of Research for the CNRS at the Prehistoric Art Research Centre (CREAP Cartailhac) in Toulouse. Her research relates to the general theoretical framework of the study of symbolic thought in Homo sapiens sapiens, more specifically in the vast domain of reflection that constitutes Palaeolithic art (movable and wall art). The purpose is to understand the ways in which symbolic Aurignacian depictions were produced, and to study their continuity throughout the Late Palaeolithic. Thanks to the study of artistic techniques and the recreation of individual and group behaviour in creative art, she tries to understand the close links that existed between the artist, his work and the group, although also among the different groups that occupied the same geographical and cultural spaces. 

She joined the scientific team when it was set up in 1998, and participates in research on wall art. Together with Gilles Tosello, she has worked in the Cactus Gallery, the Red Panel Gallery, where they took over from Norbert Aujoulat, and then in the horse sector of the Hillaire Chamber. Her present research consists of analysing the walls in the Skull Chamber. She uses photogrammetry (dense correlation) to study wall panels, a method specifically adapted to analyse walls with difficult access.