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, Vanité, Philippe Pasqua

Vanité

Philippe Pasqua

Painting - 92 x 72 x 3 cm Painting - 36.2 x 28.3 x 1.2 inch

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Painting, Fairway, Al Freno

Fairway

Al Freno

Painting - 90 x 120 x 3 cm Painting - 35.4 x 47.2 x 1.2 inch

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Print, Vote, Jonas Wood

Vote

Jonas Wood

Print - 40 x 25 cm Print - 15.7 x 9.8 inch

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Sculpture, Swing, Bernard Rives

Swing

Bernard Rives

Sculpture - 105 x 90 x 30 cm Sculpture - 41.3 x 35.4 x 11.8 inch

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Sculpture, Equilebre, Bernard Rives

Equilebre

Bernard Rives

Sculpture - 40 x 75 x 75 cm Sculpture - 15.7 x 29.5 x 29.5 inch

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Fine Art Drawings, Au galop, Alfred Defossez

Au galop

Alfred Defossez

Fine Art Drawings - 23.5 x 35 cm Fine Art Drawings - 9.3 x 13.8 inch

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Painting, El match, Jordi Sàbat

El match

Jordi Sàbat

Painting - 80 x 80 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 inch

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Painting, Regatta 5, Max Yaskin

Regatta 5

Max Yaskin

Painting - 95 x 200 x 1 cm Painting - 37.4 x 78.7 x 0.4 inch

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Painting, La régate, Victor Spahn

La régate

Victor Spahn

Painting - 73 x 92 x 4 cm Painting - 28.7 x 36.2 x 1.6 inch

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Painting, Régates, Muriel Averos

Régates

Muriel Averos

Painting - 46 x 65 cm Painting - 18.1 x 25.6 inch

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Painting, Marine #01, JPx

Marine #01

JPx

Painting - 100 x 50 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch

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Painting, Go Polo!, Amy Bernays

Go Polo!

Amy Bernays

Painting - 40.6 x 50.8 x 1.3 cm Painting - 16 x 20 x 0.5 inch

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Photography, Le Mans, Vincent Gachaga

Le Mans

Vincent Gachaga

Photography - 46 x 38 x 10 cm Photography - 18.1 x 15 x 3.9 inch

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Sculpture, Formule 1, Spaco

Formule 1

Spaco

Sculpture - 8.5 x 30 x 3 cm Sculpture - 3.3 x 11.8 x 1.2 inch

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Painting, Jogging, Sylvie Eudes

Jogging

Sylvie Eudes

Painting - 36 x 36 x 2 cm Painting - 14.2 x 14.2 x 0.8 inch

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Painting, Impulsion, Eden

Impulsion

Eden

Painting - 80 x 100 x 0.3 cm Painting - 31.5 x 39.4 x 0.1 inch

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Painting, Fight club, Angela Gomes

Fight club

Angela Gomes

Painting - 120 x 190 x 4 cm Painting - 47.2 x 74.8 x 1.6 inch

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Sculpture, Deck'On 3, Gum

Deck'On 3

Gum

Sculpture - 82 x 21 x 1 cm Sculpture - 32.3 x 8.3 x 0.4 inch

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Print, Golf, Victor Spahn

Golf

Victor Spahn

Print - 43 x 60 x 0.2 cm Print - 16.9 x 23.6 x 0.1 inch

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Print, Corrida, Victor Spahn

Corrida

Victor Spahn

Print - 43 x 43 x 0.2 cm Print - 16.9 x 16.9 x 0.1 inch

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Print, The Wave, Victor Spahn

The Wave

Victor Spahn

Print - 43 x 60 x 0.2 cm Print - 16.9 x 23.6 x 0.1 inch

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Print, Bonaparte, Victor Spahn

Bonaparte

Victor Spahn

Print - 60 x 43 x 0.2 cm Print - 23.6 x 16.9 x 0.1 inch

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Print, Rugby, Victor Spahn

Rugby

Victor Spahn

Print - 43 x 60 x 0.2 cm Print - 16.9 x 23.6 x 0.1 inch

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Print, Equestrian, Zhou Zhiwei

Equestrian

Zhou Zhiwei

Print - 94.5 x 70 x 0.1 cm Print - 37.2 x 27.6 x 0 inch

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Sculpture, Deck'On, Gum

Deck'On

Gum

Sculpture - 82 x 21 x 1 cm Sculpture - 32.3 x 8.3 x 0.4 inch

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Painting, Le saut d'obstacle, Skepa

Le saut d'obstacle

Skepa

Painting - 125 x 217 x 0.1 cm Painting - 49.2 x 85.4 x 0 inch

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Painting, Remontée, Perrine Vilmot

Remontée

Perrine Vilmot

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

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