Sport

At school, we sometimes tend to oppose athletes and artists. However, sport and art often mix and sublimate each other. The meeting of these two disciplines is frequent in the history of art and more particularly in contemporary art. 

Already during Antiquity, the Greeks devoted an absolute cult to the perfect athletic body. On pots and vases, artists painted the exploits of the competitors of the first Olympic Games in the 8th century BC.

Whatever the medium (photography, painting, sculpture, collage...), the musculature and the psychological state of the sportsmen, the places of training or the competitions are inexhaustible sources of inspiration for the artists. Between the representation of reality and the hijacking of a symbol, sport is a recurring theme for young artists.

Discover with Artsper our Olympic podium of artworks!

Photography is probably the first medium that comes to mind when representing sports. It is the only medium that allows us to capture images of the athletes' prowess at full speed. Thus, the shots are taken on the spot to offer a better rendering of the movement and to manage to capture the palpable tension on the field, the team cohesion, the crucial moment...

A leader of the new wave, Gerry Cranham had a career in athletics before becoming a coach. Passionate about photography, he takes pictures of the young people he coaches in order to correct their position and analyze their stride. Very quickly, he decided to convert his hobby into a real job. He became a sports photographer and quickly built a reputation as one of the leading sports photographers in England and internationally. His pictures of rugby, soccer, tennis, wrestling and swimming were published all over the world in the most prestigious magazines such as Sport Illustrated or The Observer. 

But sport also inspired painters and it is found in all artistic movements of the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1853, Gustave Courbet painted "The Wrestlers", a large oil on canvas depicting two men practicing French wrestling in the old hippodrome of the Champs Élysées. To the right, in the background, one can see the audience, cheering the athletes. Among the Impressionists, Claude Monet developed his technique with "Les Régates d'Argenteuil", an 1872 painting in which the boats are reflected in the water in a magnificent way. In modern art, Nicolas de Staël's "Les Footballeurs" represents a soccer field in the middle of a match, but in an abstract way. The players are discernible thanks to the flat colors that make up the team jerseys. 

You too can bring your passions to life through contemporary sports paintings, sculptures and photographs. Discover the work of well-known and emerging artists such as Victor Spahn, Isabelle Picarel, Michel Birot, Chiara Dazi and many others... 

Read more
Photography, Kito de Pavant, Maud Bernos

Kito de Pavant

Maud Bernos

Photography - 80 x 80 x 5 cm Photography - 31.5 x 31.5 x 2 inch

€3,000

Painting, Champions #2, Mic Staib

Champions #2

Mic Staib

Painting - 100 x 120 x 4.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 47.2 x 1.8 inch

€3,000

Photography, Hauraki, Patrick Gripe

Hauraki

Patrick Gripe

Photography - 40 x 60 x 3 cm Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch

€2,900

Painting, La loma, Chicho

La loma

Chicho

Painting - 100 x 70 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 27.6 x 1.2 inch

€2,600

Painting, Judo, Stéphane Cantin

Judo

Stéphane Cantin

Painting - 40 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch

€300

Painting, Rugby, Stéphane Cantin

Rugby

Stéphane Cantin

Painting - 61 x 50 x 1.5 cm Painting - 24 x 19.7 x 0.6 inch

€400

Painting, Surf, Stéphane Cantin

Surf

Stéphane Cantin

Painting - 50 x 61 x 1.5 cm Painting - 19.7 x 24 x 0.6 inch

€460

Painting, Tir, Stéphane Cantin

Tir

Stéphane Cantin

Painting - 20 x 20 x 1.5 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.6 inch

€150

Painting, Handball, Stéphane Cantin

Handball

Stéphane Cantin

Painting - 61 x 50 x 1.5 cm Painting - 24 x 19.7 x 0.6 inch

€400

Painting, Windsurf, Stéphane Cantin

Windsurf

Stéphane Cantin

Painting - 61 x 50 x 1.5 cm Painting - 24 x 19.7 x 0.6 inch

€400

Painting, Golf, Stéphane Cantin

Golf

Stéphane Cantin

Painting - 60 x 20 x 1.5 cm Painting - 23.6 x 7.9 x 0.6 inch

€230

Painting, Escalade, Stéphane Cantin

Escalade

Stéphane Cantin

Painting - 60 x 20 x 1.5 cm Painting - 23.6 x 7.9 x 0.6 inch

€230

Painting, Boxe, Stéphane Cantin

Boxe

Stéphane Cantin

Painting - 20 x 20 x 1.5 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.6 inch

€150

Painting, Escrime, Stéphane Cantin

Escrime

Stéphane Cantin

Painting - 50 x 61 x 1.5 cm Painting - 19.7 x 24 x 0.6 inch

€430

Painting, Aviron, Stéphane Cantin

Aviron

Stéphane Cantin

Painting - 50 x 61 x 1.5 cm Painting - 19.7 x 24 x 0.6 inch

€430

Painting, Solitude, Stéphane Cantin

Solitude

Stéphane Cantin

Painting - 61 x 50 x 1.5 cm Painting - 24 x 19.7 x 0.6 inch

€400

Photography, Samoa, Michel Birot

Samoa

Michel Birot

Photography - 60 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0 inch

€3,300

Painting, The Gladiators, Alben

The Gladiators

Alben

Painting - 170 x 122 x 3 cm Painting - 66.9 x 48 x 1.2 inch

€14,800

Photography, Tracks IV, Bruno Charoy

Tracks IV

Bruno Charoy

Photography - 40 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch

€1,000

Painting, Mermaid, Klimenko Olena

Mermaid

Klimenko Olena

Painting - 50 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch

€455

Print, Untitled, Mario Bedini

Untitled

Mario Bedini

Print - 80.5 x 60.5 cm Print - 31.7 x 23.8 inch

€400

Print, Untitled, Mario Bedini

Untitled

Mario Bedini

Print - 80.5 x 60.5 cm Print - 31.7 x 23.8 inch

€400

Painting, Chabal, MC Art

Chabal

MC Art

Painting - 112 x 81 x 3 cm Painting - 44.1 x 31.9 x 1.2 inch

€1,100

Photography, Soweto, Thomas Hoeffgen

Soweto

Thomas Hoeffgen

Photography - 40 x 54 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 21.3 x 0 inch

€2,400

Print, Round, Philippe Grimaud

Round

Philippe Grimaud

Print - 70 x 49 x 0.1 cm Print - 27.6 x 19.3 x 0 inch

€99

Painting, CR 7, Ayoka Zahir

CR 7

Ayoka Zahir

Painting - 40 x 30 x 0.01 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch

€325

Photography, L'Attaquant, Ben B

L'Attaquant

Ben B

Photography - 30 x 40 x 0.04 cm Photography - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0 inch

€190

Photography, Go Cart Track, Jill Peters

Go Cart Track

Jill Peters

Photography - 101.6 x 152.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 40 x 60 x 0.1 inch

€4,101

Painting, The catch, Gordon Barker

The catch

Gordon Barker

Painting - 30 x 30 x 0.3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch

€251

Fine Art Drawings, Swing golf !, Noël Granger

Swing golf !

Noël Granger

Fine Art Drawings - 29 x 21 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.4 x 8.3 x 0 inch

€70

Fine Art Drawings, Putting, golf !, Noël Granger

Putting, golf !

Noël Granger

Fine Art Drawings - 29 x 21 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.4 x 8.3 x 0 inch

€70

Fine Art Drawings, Golfeur !, Noël Granger

Golfeur !

Noël Granger

Fine Art Drawings - 29 x 21 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.4 x 8.3 x 0 inch

€70

Painting, Rugby 7, Arno Lanzi

Rugby 7

Arno Lanzi

Painting - 22 x 27 x 1 cm Painting - 8.7 x 10.6 x 0.4 inch

€250

Photography, Dancer: Bobo, Cody Choi

Dancer: Bobo

Cody Choi

Photography - 76.2 x 50.8 x 0.2 cm Photography - 30 x 20 x 0.1 inch

€371

Photography, Rue Lepic, Bilal Aouffen

Rue Lepic

Bilal Aouffen

Photography - 120 x 80 x 0.1 cm Photography - 47.2 x 31.5 x 0 inch

€15,000

Photography, Gymnast, Elena Bandurka

Gymnast

Elena Bandurka

Photography - 40 x 30 x 2 cm Photography - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

€365

Fine Art Drawings, Chute, Julián Fourcade

Chute

Julián Fourcade

Fine Art Drawings - 26 x 36 cm Fine Art Drawings - 10.2 x 14.2 inch

€190

14/20