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, Marathonienne, Philippe Hiquily

Philippe Hiquily

Sculpture . 16 x 11.5 x 6 cm Sculpture . 6.3 x 4.5 x 2.4 inch

€1,000 €900

Sculpture, Hit, Karen Akhikyan

Hit

Karen Akhikyan

Sculpture . 55 x 22 x 20 cm Sculpture . 21.7 x 8.7 x 7.9 inch

€1,600

Print, Tennis, Gilles Aillaud

Gilles Aillaud

Print . 76 x 56 cm Print . 29.9 x 22 inch

€1,200

Sculpture, Athy, Sophie Inard

Sophie Inard

Sculpture . 64 x 6 x 6 cm Sculpture . 25.2 x 2.4 x 2.4 inch

€2,040

Sculpture, Giants, High jump in Rio, JR

JR

Sculpture . 99 x 55 x 20 cm Sculpture . 39 x 21.7 x 7.9 inch

€10,000

Painting, Victory, Agboola Oladapo

Agboola Oladapo

Painting . 182.9 x 146.3 x 2.5 cm Painting . 72 x 57.6 x 1 inch

€6,223

Photography, Boxe, Sophie Inard

Sophie Inard

Photography . 23.5 x 33.5 cm Photography . 9.3 x 13.2 inch

€600

Painting, Survive and Fight, Rizky Art

Rizky Art

Painting . 50 x 80 x 2 cm Painting . 19.7 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch

€1,750

Painting, Jordan, Alain Mimouni

Alain Mimouni

Painting . 100 x 80 x 1 cm Painting . 39.4 x 31.5 x 0.4 inch

€3,200

Photography, L'attente, Olivier Morin

Olivier Morin

Photography . 76 x 115 x 1 cm Photography . 29.9 x 45.3 x 0.4 inch

€950

Sculpture, Le Roi du Tour, Enzo San Marco

Enzo San Marco

Sculpture . 17 x 30 x 13 cm Sculpture . 6.7 x 11.8 x 5.1 inch

€180 €153

Photography, Polytechnique, Patrick Gripe

Patrick Gripe

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

€950

Photography, Capitaine, Isabelle Picarel

Isabelle Picarel

Photography . 53 x 80 x 0.1 cm Photography . 20.9 x 31.5 x 0 inch

€950

Photography, Lelo 1, Cristina Aldehuela

Cristina Aldehuela

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

€1,100

Photography, Sea quiétude, Mark Lloyd

Mark Lloyd

Photography . 120 x 80 x 2 cm Photography . 47.2 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch

€1,850

Photography, Ensemble, Julien Poupart

Julien Poupart

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

€950

Print, Dreams, Dieter Roth

Dieter Roth

Print . 75 x 63 x 1 cm Print . 29.5 x 24.8 x 0.4 inch

€980

Painting, Agia Anna, Antoine Renault

Antoine Renault

Painting . 70 x 100 x 2 cm Painting . 27.6 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

€4,400

Photography, Sir Alex, Mark Leech

Mark Leech

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

€700

Painting, Yellow, Roberta Pinna

Roberta Pinna

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

€1,600

Photography, Tracks V, Bruno Charoy

Bruno Charoy

Photography . 40 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography . 15.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch

€800

Photography, Tchernobyl, Guillaume Herbaut

Guillaume Herbaut

Photography . 60 x 75 x 0.1 cm Photography . 23.6 x 29.5 x 0 inch

€2,950

Fine Art Drawings, Capbreton, Lydi

Lydi

Fine Art Drawings . 40 x 30 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 15.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch

€190

Painting, Greg, Nicolas Curmer

Nicolas Curmer

Painting . 65 x 81 x 4 cm Painting . 25.6 x 31.9 x 1.6 inch

€1,800

Photography, Muhammad Ali, Flip Schulke

Flip Schulke

Photography . 40 x 30 x 1 cm Photography . 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

€7,500

Photography, Plongeurs, Elisa Haberer

Elisa Haberer

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

€2,000

Painting, Brutal Ballet, Sheila Tajima

Sheila Tajima

Painting . 91.4 x 61 x 2.5 cm Painting . 36 x 24 x 1 inch

€1,823

Photography, Silhouettes, Lionel Hahn

Lionel Hahn

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

€990

Painting, West Coast, Ian Leventhal

Ian Leventhal

Painting . 16.5 x 20.3 x 5.1 cm Painting . 6.5 x 8 x 2 inch

€1,200

Photography, Frères, Michel Birot

Michel Birot

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

€7,900

Photography, By My Side 2, Antoine Rose

Antoine Rose

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

€1,100

Photography, Khalid (Sinouh), Erwin Olaf

Erwin Olaf

Photography . 118.5 x 84 x 3 cm Photography . 46.7 x 33.1 x 1.2 inch

€9,000

Painting, Lancement, Aurino Jottar

Aurino Jottar

Painting . 60 x 35 x 3 cm Painting . 23.6 x 13.8 x 1.2 inch

€2,500

Photography, Ascension, Bilal Aouffen

Bilal Aouffen

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

€1,400

Photography, Ivailo & Denis, Samuel Lugassy

Samuel Lugassy

Photography . 80 x 65 x 1 cm Photography . 31.5 x 25.6 x 0.4 inch

€1,077

Photography, Hand I, Laurent Gudin

Laurent Gudin

Photography . 40 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography . 15.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch

€1,600

Photography, Cardiff by night, Jodi Bieber

Jodi Bieber

Photography . 70 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography . 27.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch

€2,220

Photography, Soweto, Thomas Hoeffgen

Thomas Hoeffgen

Photography . 40 x 54 x 0.1 cm Photography . 15.7 x 21.3 x 0 inch

€2,500

Print, Tennis, Fifo Stricker

Fifo Stricker

Print . 59 x 39 x 0.1 cm Print . 23.2 x 15.4 x 0 inch

€540

Photography, Le lutteur, Chiara Dazi

Chiara Dazi

Photography . 60 x 60 cm Photography . 23.6 x 23.6 inch

€1,000

Photography, Jougs, Laurent Troude

Laurent Troude

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

€1,150

Painting, Pojukx, Remix

Remix

Painting . 39 x 37 x 3 cm Painting . 15.4 x 14.6 x 1.2 inch

€590

Painting, Mats Sundin, Stephen Holland

Stephen Holland

Painting . 142.2 x 101.6 x 5.1 cm Painting . 56 x 40 x 2 inch

€6,757

Print, Diversions, Jeffrey Isaac

Jeffrey Isaac

Print . 94.5 x 70 x 0.2 cm Print . 37.2 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch

€600

Discover other selections of artworks

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Master Artists

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