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, Rafa 3, Corinne Dubreuil

Corinne Dubreuil

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

$1,190

Photography, Boxer boys, Richard Dunkley

Richard Dunkley

Photography - 61 x 50.8 x 2.5 cm Photography - 24 x 20 x 1 inch

$413

Photography, Bolchoi I, Gérard Uféras

Gérard Uféras

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

$1,785

Photography, Opéra XIV, Gérard Uféras

Gérard Uféras

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

$1,785

Painting, Basquiat boxing, Ito Dubois

Ito Dubois

Painting - 90 x 90 x 3 cm Painting - 35.4 x 35.4 x 1.2 inch

$4,759

Print, Basket, Clément Dezelus

Clément Dezelus

Print - 90 x 90 x 3 cm Print - 35.4 x 35.4 x 1.2 inch

$510

Painting, Equitation, Raymond Poulet

Raymond Poulet

Painting - 35 x 27 x 2 cm Painting - 13.8 x 10.6 x 0.8 inch

$4,164

Photography, Sept d'or, Eliot Blondet

Eliot Blondet

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

$2,320

Photography, Sacré cœur, Bilal Aouffen

Bilal Aouffen

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

$1,190

Sculpture, Jordan street art, Spaco

Spaco

Sculpture - 22 x 24 x 6 cm Sculpture - 8.7 x 9.4 x 2.4 inch

$297

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

$4,283

Painting, Football, Stéphane Cantin

Stéphane Cantin

Painting - 47 x 21 x 1.5 cm Painting - 18.5 x 8.3 x 0.6 inch

$381

Painting, Surf, Stéphane Cantin

Stéphane Cantin

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

$547

Sculpture, Altero, Pascal Billard

Pascal Billard

Sculpture - 40 x 68 x 18 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 26.8 x 7.1 inch

$1,142

Painting, Windsurf, Stéphane Cantin

Stéphane Cantin

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

$476

Painting, Passion, Christian Raffin

Christian Raffin

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

$452

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

$1,400

Photography, Baseball, Nir Hadar

Nir Hadar

Photography - 80 x 120 x 5 cm Photography - 31.5 x 47.2 x 2 inch

$3,500

Fine Art Drawings, Fist, Michael Grine

Michael Grine

Fine Art Drawings - 45.7 x 30.5 x 0 cm Fine Art Drawings - 18 x 12 x 0.01 inch

$300

Fine Art Drawings, Glove, Michael Grine

Michael Grine

Fine Art Drawings - 30.5 x 22.9 x 0 cm Fine Art Drawings - 12 x 9 x 0.01 inch

$300

Fine Art Drawings, Jungle Book, Patrick Villas

Patrick Villas

Fine Art Drawings - 145 x 127 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 57.1 x 50 x 0.4 inch

$8,566

Photography, High dive, Richard Dunkley

Richard Dunkley

Photography - 61 x 50.8 x 2.5 cm Photography - 24 x 20 x 1 inch

$447

Painting, Athlétisme 10, Arno Lanzi

Arno Lanzi

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

$1,666

Painting, Athlétisme 9, Arno Lanzi

Arno Lanzi

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

$1,666

Painting, Athlétisme 8, Arno Lanzi

Arno Lanzi

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

$1,666

Painting, Athlétisme 7, Arno Lanzi

Arno Lanzi

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

$1,666

Painting, Athlétisme 6, Arno Lanzi

Arno Lanzi

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

$1,666

Painting, Athlétisme 5, Arno Lanzi

Arno Lanzi

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

$2,617

Painting, Athlétisme 4, Arno Lanzi

Arno Lanzi

Painting - 92 x 73 x 2 cm Painting - 36.2 x 28.7 x 0.8 inch

$2,974

Painting, Athlétisme 3, Arno Lanzi

Arno Lanzi

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

$1,666

Painting, Athlétisme 2, Arno Lanzi

Arno Lanzi

Painting - 81 x 65 cm Painting - 31.9 x 25.6 inch

$2,617

Painting, At the court, Nina Park

Nina Park

Painting - 120 x 90 x 2 cm Painting - 47.2 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch

$7,019

Painting, FRA 123, Raymond Poulet

Raymond Poulet

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

$5,473

Photography, Jean-Pierre Rives, Mark Leech

Mark Leech

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

$2,617

Photography, Mêlée III, Michel Birot

Michel Birot

Photography - 60 x 190 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 74.8 x 0 inch

$2,082

Photography, Source, Michel Birot

Michel Birot

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

$1,785

Photography, Lagos, Thomas Hoeffgen

Thomas Hoeffgen

Photography - 41 x 104 x 0.1 cm Photography - 16.1 x 40.9 x 0 inch

$2,379

Photography, Caveman, Christophe Paucelier

Christophe Paucelier

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

$1,130

Photography, Samoa, Michel Birot

Michel Birot

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

$3,926

Photography, Roger, Corinne Dubreuil

Corinne Dubreuil

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

$1,309

Fine Art Drawings, Calcio, Alexander Daniloff

Alexander Daniloff

Fine Art Drawings - 17 x 20 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 6.7 x 7.9 x 0.1 inch

$107 $96

Painting, Champions #2, Mic Staib

Mic Staib

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

$3,569

Painting, La loma, Chicho

Chicho

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

$3,093

Painting, Rugby 6, Arno Lanzi

Arno Lanzi

Painting - 73 x 54 x 1 cm Painting - 28.7 x 21.3 x 0.4 inch

$1,011

Painting, Rugby 5, Arno Lanzi

Arno Lanzi

Painting - 73 x 54 x 1 cm Painting - 28.7 x 21.3 x 0.4 inch

$1,011

Painting, Rugby 4, Arno Lanzi

Arno Lanzi

Painting - 73 x 54 x 1 cm Painting - 28.7 x 21.3 x 0.4 inch

$1,011