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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Painting, Dancer 5, Kosta Morr

Kosta Morr

Painting . 30 x 21 x 1 cm Painting . 11.8 x 8.3 x 0.4 inch

$211

Print, The JumpKaws - EA, Ske

Ske

Print . 59.4 x 42 x 0.1 cm Print . 23.4 x 16.5 x 0 inch

$205

Photography, JPR vs JPR, Gerry Cranham

Gerry Cranham

Photography . 40 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography . 15.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch

$2,228

Print, The Boss - EA, Ske

Ske

Print . 59.4 x 42 x 0.1 cm Print . 23.4 x 16.5 x 0 inch

$205

Print, Le Tiercé, Victor Spahn

Victor Spahn

Print . 30 x 60 x 0.2 cm Print . 11.8 x 23.6 x 0.1 inch

$258

Painting, Paris, Maxime Andriot

Maxime Andriot

Painting . 73 x 92 x 3 cm Painting . 28.7 x 36.2 x 1.2 inch

$891

Painting, Jordan 1, Luc Abalo

Luc Abalo

Painting . 200 x 130 x 5 cm Painting . 78.7 x 51.2 x 2 inch

$11,728

Painting, Sunset Regatta, Kosta Morr

Kosta Morr

Painting . 60 x 80 x 2 cm Painting . 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch

$938

Painting, Dancer 6, Kosta Morr

Kosta Morr

Painting . 30 x 21 x 1 cm Painting . 11.8 x 8.3 x 0.4 inch

$211

Painting, Dancer 7, Kosta Morr

Kosta Morr

Painting . 30 x 21 x 0.1 cm Painting . 11.8 x 8.3 x 0 inch

$211

Sculpture, Sprinter, Luc Benedetti

Luc Benedetti

Sculpture . 28 x 45 x 10 cm Sculpture . 11 x 17.7 x 3.9 inch

$9,383

Painting, A. Dupont, Remi Bertoche

Remi Bertoche

Painting . 100 x 80 x 5 cm Painting . 39.4 x 31.5 x 2 inch

$10,556

Print, Voiliers, Michel Bez

Michel Bez

Print . 54 x 76 cm Print . 21.3 x 29.9 inch

$293

Print, Mats, Stephen Holland

Stephen Holland

Print . 61 x 40.6 x 5.1 cm Print . 24 x 16 x 2 inch

$645

Painting, Skater 03, Karine Bartoli

Karine Bartoli

Painting . 80 x 100 x 4 cm Painting . 31.5 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch

$2,228

Painting, Vers l'arrivée, Kalus

Kalus

Painting . 38 x 46 x 2 cm Painting . 15 x 18.1 x 0.8 inch

$293

Print, Untitled, Mario Bedini

Mario Bedini

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

$469

Painting, France 2018 pop, PyB

PyB

Painting . 20 x 20 x 2 cm Painting . 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch

$164

Painting, France 1998 pop, PyB

PyB

Painting . 20 x 20 x 2 cm Painting . 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch

$164

Painting, Roxane, Alain Abramatic

Alain Abramatic

Painting . 80 x 40 x 3 cm Painting . 31.5 x 15.7 x 1.2 inch

$1,478

Photography, Roger, Corinne Dubreuil

Corinne Dubreuil

Photography . 40 x 60 x 0.1 cm Photography . 15.7 x 23.6 x 0 inch

$1,290

Painting, BULLIT, Valérie Durand

Valérie Durand

Painting . 100 x 81 x 3 cm Painting . 39.4 x 31.9 x 1.2 inch

$12,544

Painting, Circus I, Zakhar Shevchuk

Zakhar Shevchuk

Painting . 39 x 33 x 2 cm Painting . 15.4 x 13 x 0.8 inch

$1,161

Painting, Le bron, Mic Staib

Mic Staib

Painting . 120 x 120 x 3.7 cm Painting . 47.2 x 47.2 x 1.5 inch

$4,222