How far back does German art date?

While Germany has only been a unified country since the 19th century, the region that is now Germany is home to art dating back almost 40,000 years. "The Venus of Hohle Fels," found in a cave in southwestern Germany, is one of the earliest figural carvings ever discovered.

An archaeologist found the "Venus," a woman carved from a piece of mammoth tusk, in 2008. German Renaissance art dates back to the early 1300s and includes many religious works, such as altar pieces and church architecture. In this period, many painters within Germany's Swabia region developed a distinct style of painting which was vital to the development of early German art.