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, Marathon 10, Arno Lanzi

Marathon 10

Arno Lanzi

Painting - 40 x 50 x 1 cm Painting - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch

$1,305

Painting, Le bron, Mic Staib

Le bron

Mic Staib

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

$4,271

Painting, Pointes, Elina Bilous

Pointes

Elina Bilous

Painting - 250 x 200 x 2.5 cm Painting - 98.4 x 78.7 x 1 inch

$6,800

Photography, Bolchoi IV, Gérard Uféras

Bolchoi IV

Gérard Uféras

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

$1,780

Painting, Champion, Anatoly Varvarov

Champion

Anatoly Varvarov

Painting - 135 x 195 x 2 cm Painting - 53.1 x 76.8 x 0.8 inch

$6,999

Painting, Kite-Surfer, Marco

Kite-Surfer

Marco

Painting - 30 x 30 x 3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 1.2 inch

$297

Photography, Dale Diving, Tony Potts

Dale Diving

Tony Potts

Photography - 40.6 x 50.8 cm Photography - 16 x 20 inch

$1,900

Painting, Rugby 18, Arno Lanzi

Rugby 18

Arno Lanzi

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

$403

Painting, Rugby 15, Arno Lanzi

Rugby 15

Arno Lanzi

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

$403

Painting, Rugby 14, Arno Lanzi

Rugby 14

Arno Lanzi

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

$403

Painting, Rugby 12, Arno Lanzi

Rugby 12

Arno Lanzi

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

$403

Painting, De face, Kalus

De face

Kalus

Painting - 60 x 73 x 3 cm Painting - 23.6 x 28.7 x 1.2 inch

$593

Painting, Rugby, Stéphane Cantin

Rugby

Stéphane Cantin

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

$475

Painting, Surf, Stéphane Cantin

Surf

Stéphane Cantin

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

$546

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

$178

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

$273

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

$178

Painting, Escrime, Stéphane Cantin

Escrime

Stéphane Cantin

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

$510

Painting, Aviron, Stéphane Cantin

Aviron

Stéphane Cantin

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

$510

Photography, Lamb 2, Laurent Gudin

Lamb 2

Laurent Gudin

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

$3,262

Print, Swing, Paul Ambille

Swing

Paul Ambille

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

$119

Print, Polo, Paul Ambille

Polo

Paul Ambille

Print - 74 x 53 cm Print - 29.1 x 20.9 inch

$119

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

$3,559

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

$3,559

Painting, Olympic Games, Jo Di Bona

Olympic Games

Jo Di Bona

Painting - 80 x 120 x 3 cm Painting - 31.5 x 47.2 x 1.2 inch

$5,339

Photography, Hauraki, Patrick Gripe

Hauraki

Patrick Gripe

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

$3,440

Painting, La loma, Chicho

La loma

Chicho

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

$3,084

Painting, The Gladiators, Alben

The Gladiators

Alben

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

$17,558

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

$1,186

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

$386

Print, Untitled, Mario Bedini

Untitled

Mario Bedini

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

$475

Print, Untitled, Mario Bedini

Untitled

Mario Bedini

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

$475

Print, Round, Philippe Grimaud

Round

Philippe Grimaud

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

$117

Painting, Chabal, MC Art

Chabal

MC Art

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

$1,305

Sculpture, Acrobates, Ousmane Dermé

Acrobates

Ousmane Dermé

Sculpture - 47 x 28 x 21 cm Sculpture - 18.5 x 11 x 8.3 inch

$4,330

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

$225

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