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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Sculpture, N°204, Mario Dilitz

Mario Dilitz

Sculpture - 210 x 70 x 45 cm Sculpture - 82.7 x 27.6 x 17.7 inch

CHF 72,500

Painting, Surfing, Trayko Popov

Trayko Popov

Painting - 55 x 75 x 0.5 cm Painting - 21.7 x 29.5 x 0.2 inch

CHF 637

Sculpture, Quadriga, Petar Iliev

Petar Iliev

Sculpture - 21 x 28 x 38 cm Sculpture - 8.3 x 11 x 15 inch

CHF 3,282

Sculpture, Rider, Petar Iliev

Petar Iliev

Sculpture - 24.5 x 28 x 8 cm Sculpture - 9.6 x 11 x 3.1 inch

CHF 2,057

Photography, Spurs, Gerry Cranham

Gerry Cranham

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

CHF 882

Print, Mohamed Ali, Pola 4.0

Pola 4.0

Print - 50 x 40 x 0.1 cm Print - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch

CHF 568

Painting, Air Jordan, Kapea

Kapea

Painting - 116 x 73 x 2.5 cm Painting - 45.7 x 28.7 x 1 inch

CHF 1,421

Painting, Mickey Lakers, Jug

Jug

Painting - 162 x 97 x 4 cm Painting - 63.8 x 38.2 x 1.6 inch

CHF 1,470

Photography, By My Side 9, Antoine Rose

Antoine Rose

Photography - 35 x 35 x 0.5 cm Photography - 13.8 x 13.8 x 0.2 inch

CHF 1,078

Photography, By My Side 8, Antoine Rose

Antoine Rose

Photography - 35 x 35 x 0.5 cm Photography - 13.8 x 13.8 x 0.2 inch

CHF 1,078

Photography, By My Side 7, Antoine Rose

Antoine Rose

Photography - 35 x 35 x 0.5 cm Photography - 13.8 x 13.8 x 0.2 inch

CHF 1,078

Photography, By My Side 3, Antoine Rose

Antoine Rose

Photography - 35 x 35 x 0.5 cm Photography - 13.8 x 13.8 x 0.2 inch

CHF 1,078

Painting, Yellow, Roberta Pinna

Roberta Pinna

Painting - 43.2 x 33 x 20.3 cm Painting - 17 x 13 x 8 inch

CHF 1,533

Painting, Natation, Stéphane Cantin

Stéphane Cantin

Painting - 60 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch

CHF 588

Painting, Giro d’Italie, ShuJie Wang

ShuJie Wang

Painting - 70 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch

CHF 882

Photography, Best wave III, Tommy Schultz

Tommy Schultz

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

CHF 784

Painting, Escrimeuse, SeiLeise

SeiLeise

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

CHF 2,351

Photography, Best Wave VIII, Tommy Schultz

Tommy Schultz

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

CHF 784

Photography, Best wave II, Tommy Schultz

Tommy Schultz

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

CHF 784

Print, Athletes, Sandro Chia

Sandro Chia

Print - 86.4 x 66 cm Print - 34 x 26 inch

CHF 1,278

Painting, The Action, Yordan Velkov

Yordan Velkov

Painting - 20 x 240 x 2 cm Painting - 7.9 x 94.5 x 0.8 inch

CHF 1,205

Photography, Vail Skiers, Slim Aarons

Slim Aarons

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

CHF 5,036

Photography, Le Volleyeur, Julie Peiffer

Julie Peiffer

Photography - 50 x 50 x 0.04 cm Photography - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch

CHF 588

Print, The Boxer, Andrew Scott

Andrew Scott

Print - 41 x 28.5 cm Print - 16.1 x 11.2 inch

CHF 1,764

Painting, New York Giants, Botero Pop

Botero Pop

Painting - 20.3 x 30.5 x 0.3 cm Painting - 8 x 12 x 0.1 inch

CHF 343

Photography, Skulls, Hugh Turvey

Hugh Turvey

Photography - 60 x 120 cm Photography - 23.6 x 47.2 inch

CHF 2,060

Sculpture, Le Padda rugbyman, Dotty

Dotty

Sculpture - 23 x 15 x 12 cm Sculpture - 9.1 x 5.9 x 4.7 inch

CHF 2,351

Painting, Underwater, Simona Tsvetkova

Simona Tsvetkova

Painting - 50 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

CHF 1,715

Sculpture, Acrobates, Ousmane Dermé

Ousmane Dermé

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

CHF 3,576

Print, The Boss - EA, Ske

Ske

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

CHF 171

Print, The JumpKaws - EA, Ske

Ske

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

CHF 171

Photography, Foot de rue, Uwe Ommer

Uwe Ommer

Photography - 40 x 48 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 18.9 x 0 inch

CHF 970

Photography, Ali I, Gerry Cranham

Gerry Cranham

Photography - 30 x 45 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 17.7 x 0 inch

CHF 970

Painting, Rencontre, Christian Raffin

Christian Raffin

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

CHF 372

Painting, Ensemble, Christian Raffin

Christian Raffin

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

CHF 372

Painting, Nostalgie, Alain Arnouil

Alain Arnouil

Painting - 73 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 28.7 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch

CHF 735