CHICAGO (AFP) - Stunning reproductions of the famed cave paintings of Lascaux are being displayed for the first time outside of France at an exhibit in Chicago which opened on Wednesday, March 20, 2013.

Meticulously copied to the millimetre, these full-sized replicas are one of the only way to see these images, since the cave was closed to the public in 1963 in order to preserve the ancient masterpieces.

The dimly lit gallery allows visitors to imagine they are walking through the cave as they stand beneath rugged panels and marvel at how cave dwellers used the contours of the stone walls to add perspective and depth to the images.