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... 

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Photography, Strike, Rodrigo

Rodrigo

Photography . 27.1 x 35.1 x 0.1 cm Photography . 10.7 x 13.8 x 0 inch

CHF 1,262

Painting, Play, Erika Vilimaityte

Erika Vilimaityte

Painting . 90 x 130 x 2 cm Painting . 35.4 x 51.2 x 0.8 inch

CHF 1,360

Photography, Boxe, Sophie Inard

Sophie Inard

Photography . 23.5 x 33.5 cm Photography . 9.3 x 13.2 inch

CHF 583

Photography, Source, Michel Birot

Michel Birot

Photography . 40 x 107 x 0.1 cm Photography . 15.7 x 42.1 x 0 inch

CHF 1,457

Photography, Imsouane, Rodrigo

Rodrigo

Photography . 25.4 x 19.1 x 0.1 cm Photography . 10 x 7.5 x 0 inch

CHF 1,262

Painting, Table tennis, Roman Durcek

Roman Durcek

Painting . 50 x 50 x 1 cm Painting . 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch

CHF 3,109

Print, Laser Fun, Alan Kingsland

Alan Kingsland

Print . 55.9 x 72.4 x 1.3 cm Print . 22 x 28.5 x 0.5 inch

CHF 623

Sculpture, Serge, Sophie Inard

Sophie Inard

Sculpture . 23 x 33 x 27 cm Sculpture . 9.1 x 13 x 10.6 inch

CHF 2,681

Painting, Lancement, Aurino Jottar

Aurino Jottar

Painting . 60 x 35 x 3 cm Painting . 23.6 x 13.8 x 1.2 inch

CHF 2,429

Print, Untitled, Mario Bedini

Mario Bedini

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

CHF 389

Photography, Highbury, Gerry Cranham

Gerry Cranham

Photography . 60 x 90 x 0.1 cm Photography . 23.6 x 35.4 x 0 inch

CHF 3,206

Photography, All Black, Isabelle Picarel

Isabelle Picarel

Photography . 53 x 80 x 2 cm Photography . 20.9 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch

CHF 1,166

Painting, The grey Mustang, Pappay

Pappay

Painting . 50 x 50 x 4 cm Painting . 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.6 inch

CHF 855

Sculpture, Narturo, Manuel Mediavilla

Manuel Mediavilla

Sculpture . 33 x 20 x 12 cm Sculpture . 13 x 7.9 x 4.7 inch

CHF 4,061

Painting, Real Madrid, Esteban Vera

Esteban Vera

Painting . 89.9 x 70.1 x 5.1 cm Painting . 35.4 x 27.6 x 2 inch

CHF 1,246

Photography, Rise, Yevgeniy Repiashenko

Yevgeniy Repiashenko

Photography . 91 x 91 x 0.1 cm Photography . 35.8 x 35.8 x 0 inch

CHF 1,433

Photography, Lamb 2, Laurent Gudin

Laurent Gudin

Photography . 80 x 80 x 0.2 cm Photography . 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.1 inch

CHF 2,672

Photography, In our out ?, Marcus Cederberg

Marcus Cederberg

Photography . 70 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography . 27.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch

CHF 194

Painting, La loma, Chicho

Chicho

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

CHF 2,526

Painting, Wind, Galya Popova

Galya Popova

Painting . 50 x 40 x 2 cm Painting . 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch

CHF 1,399

Photography, By My Side 2, Antoine Rose

Antoine Rose

Photography . 35 x 35 x 0.5 cm Photography . 13.8 x 13.8 x 0.2 inch

CHF 1,069

Print, Swing, Paul Ambille

Paul Ambille

Print . 60 x 45 cm Print . 23.6 x 17.7 inch

CHF 97

Fine Art Drawings, Untitled, Patrick Villas

Patrick Villas

Fine Art Drawings . 50 x 65 cm Fine Art Drawings . 19.7 x 25.6 inch

CHF 1,166

Print, Bubles, Nicole Tijoux

Nicole Tijoux

Print . 42.8 x 50 x 0.3 cm Print . 16.9 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch

CHF 291

Painting, Tennis player, Roman Durcek

Roman Durcek

Painting . 70 x 90 x 1 cm Painting . 27.6 x 35.4 x 0.4 inch

CHF 3,109

Painting, La Revanche, Clara Breuil

Clara Breuil

Painting . 80 x 80 x 5 cm Painting . 31.5 x 31.5 x 2 inch

CHF 3,886

Photography, Magic Senna, LAT Archives

LAT Archives

Photography . 40 x 60 x 2 cm Photography . 15.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch

CHF 675

Painting, Compétition, Sylvie Eudes

Sylvie Eudes

Painting . 30 x 30 x 2 cm Painting . 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

CHF 1,069

Fine Art Drawings, Untitled, Joan Albert

Joan Albert

Fine Art Drawings . 44 x 47 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 17.3 x 18.5 x 0 inch

CHF 583