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, Go Cart Track, Jill Peters

Go Cart Track

Jill Peters

Photography - 101.6 x 152.4 x 0.3 cm Photography - 40 x 60 x 0.1 inch

€4,116

Painting, The catch, Gordon Barker

The catch

Gordon Barker

Painting - 30 x 30 x 0.3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0.1 inch

€252

Painting, Grain, Sylvie Eudes

Grain

Sylvie Eudes

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

€5,400

Fine Art Drawings, Swing golf !, Noël Granger

Swing golf !

Noël Granger

Fine Art Drawings - 29 x 21 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.4 x 8.3 x 0 inch

€70

Fine Art Drawings, Putting, golf !, Noël Granger

Putting, golf !

Noël Granger

Fine Art Drawings - 29 x 21 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.4 x 8.3 x 0 inch

€70

Fine Art Drawings, Golfeur !, Noël Granger

Golfeur !

Noël Granger

Fine Art Drawings - 29 x 21 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.4 x 8.3 x 0 inch

€70

Painting, Rugby 7, Arno Lanzi

Rugby 7

Arno Lanzi

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

€250

Photography, Dancer: Bobo, Cody Choi

Dancer: Bobo

Cody Choi

Photography - 76.2 x 50.8 x 0.2 cm Photography - 30 x 20 x 0.1 inch

€372

Photography, Rue Lepic, Bilal Aouffen

Rue Lepic

Bilal Aouffen

Photography - 120 x 80 x 0.1 cm Photography - 47.2 x 31.5 x 0 inch

€15,000

Photography, Gymnast, Elena Bandurka

Gymnast

Elena Bandurka

Photography - 40 x 30 x 2 cm Photography - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

€366

Fine Art Drawings, Chute, Julián Fourcade

Chute

Julián Fourcade

Fine Art Drawings - 26 x 36 cm Fine Art Drawings - 10.2 x 14.2 inch

€190

Painting, Set, Pascal Astier

Set

Pascal Astier

Painting - 60 x 60 x 3.5 cm Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 1.4 inch

€1,200

Painting, Cupcake, Ana Patitú

Cupcake

Ana Patitú

Painting - 92 x 65 x 1 cm Painting - 36.2 x 25.6 x 0.4 inch

Sold

Photography, The flight, SergDady

The flight

SergDady

Photography - 90 x 60 x 4 cm Photography - 35.4 x 23.6 x 1.6 inch

€670

Print, Michelin, Bill Butcher

Michelin

Bill Butcher

Print - 96 x 80 x 1 cm Print - 37.8 x 31.5 x 0.4 inch

€1,630

Painting, Vers l'arrivée, Kalus

Vers l'arrivée

Kalus

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

€250

Print, Hippodrome, Bill Butcher

Hippodrome

Bill Butcher

Print - 80 x 95 x 1 cm Print - 31.5 x 37.4 x 0.4 inch

€870

Print, St Leger, Bill Butcher

St Leger

Bill Butcher

Print - 90 x 75 x 1 cm Print - 35.4 x 29.5 x 0.4 inch

€870

Print, Deauville, Bill Butcher

Deauville

Bill Butcher

Print - 60 x 60 x 1 cm Print - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0.4 inch

€870

Print, Monaco, Bill Butcher

Monaco

Bill Butcher

Print - 58 x 66 x 1 cm Print - 22.8 x 26 x 0.4 inch

€870

Print, Turin, Bill Butcher

Turin

Bill Butcher

Print - 66 x 58 x 1 cm Print - 26 x 22.8 x 0.4 inch

€870

Print, Chantilly, Bill Butcher

Chantilly

Bill Butcher

Print - 66 x 58 x 1 cm Print - 26 x 22.8 x 0.4 inch

€870

Print, Hennessy, Bill Butcher

Hennessy

Bill Butcher

Print - 58 x 66 x 1 cm Print - 22.8 x 26 x 0.4 inch

€870

Painting, Swimmer, Carmen Cañadas

Swimmer

Carmen Cañadas

Painting - 90 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch

€4,000

Photography, Fuyons, Pierre Moreau

Fuyons

Pierre Moreau

Photography - 50 x 75 x 0.1 cm Photography - 19.7 x 29.5 x 0 inch

€1,900

Painting, Mar, Ana Patitú

Mar

Ana Patitú

Painting - 46 x 55 x 1.8 cm Painting - 18.1 x 21.7 x 0.7 inch

€1,000

Painting, Coral 02, Ana Patitú

Coral 02

Ana Patitú

Painting - 40 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch

€1,200

Painting, Coral 01, Ana Patitú

Coral 01

Ana Patitú

Painting - 80 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch

€1,200

Print, Equinox, Ellis

Equinox

Ellis

Print - 48 x 48 x 1 cm Print - 18.9 x 18.9 x 0.4 inch

€323

Photography, Incursus, Raphael Macek

Incursus

Raphael Macek

Photography - 120 x 180 cm Photography - 47.2 x 70.9 inch

€10,500

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