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, Lawn Bowls, Slim Aarons

Slim Aarons

Photography . 76.2 x 101.6 cm Photography . 30 x 40 inch

€3,125

Photography, Golfing Pals, Slim Aarons

Slim Aarons

Photography . 101.6 x 101.6 cm Photography . 40 x 40 inch

€3,690

Painting, Mutant II, Michael Grine

Michael Grine

Painting . 27.9 x 35.6 x 0 cm Painting . 11 x 14 x 0.01 inch

€274

Painting, Rugby 9, Arno Lanzi

Arno Lanzi

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

€250

Photography, Splash!, Richard Dunkley

Richard Dunkley

Photography . 76.2 x 50.8 cm Photography . 30 x 20 inch

€395

Photography, Géants, Bertrand Desprez

Bertrand Desprez

Photography . 48 x 40 cm Photography . 18.9 x 15.7 inch

€650

Fine Art Drawings, Fist, Michael Grine

Michael Grine

Fine Art Drawings . 45.7 x 30.5 x 0 cm Fine Art Drawings . 18 x 12 x 0.01 inch

€274

Fine Art Drawings, Glove, Michael Grine

Michael Grine

Fine Art Drawings . 30.5 x 22.9 x 0 cm Fine Art Drawings . 12 x 9 x 0.01 inch

€274

Painting, Rugby 16, Arno Lanzi

Arno Lanzi

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

€340

Painting, Rugby 15, Arno Lanzi

Arno Lanzi

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

€340

Photography, Le Volleyeur, Julie Peiffer

Julie Peiffer

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

€600

Painting, Rugby 14, Arno Lanzi

Arno Lanzi

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

€340

Painting, Rugby 12, Arno Lanzi

Arno Lanzi

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

€340

Photography, Jordan, Bernard Pras

Bernard Pras

Photography . 106 x 80 x 3 cm Photography . 41.7 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch

€5,000

Painting, Rugby 7, Arno Lanzi

Arno Lanzi

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

€250

Print, Baby, LN Le Cheviller

LN Le Cheviller

Print . 30 x 30 x 0.1 cm Print . 11.8 x 11.8 x 0 inch

€130

Painting, Mohamed, Erdna André

Erdna André

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

€400

Painting, Jouissance, Damien Legrain

Damien Legrain

Painting . 30 x 90 x 2.5 cm Painting . 11.8 x 35.4 x 1 inch

€330

Sculpture, The jump, Semion Rabinkov

Semion Rabinkov

Sculpture . 73 x 11 x 48 cm Sculpture . 28.7 x 4.3 x 18.9 inch

€3,600

Photography, Skateboard, Emre

Emre

Photography . 120 x 120 cm Photography . 47.2 x 47.2 inch

€7,000

Photography, Piste Noire II, J.Léo

J.Léo

Photography . 108 x 150 x 2 cm Photography . 42.5 x 59.1 x 0.8 inch

€2,700

Painting, Runners in Red, Mike Jacobs

Mike Jacobs

Painting . 61 x 45 x 2 cm Painting . 24 x 17.7 x 0.8 inch

€980

Photography, Squad, Rodrigo

Rodrigo

Photography . 40 x 26.5 x 0.1 cm Photography . 15.7 x 10.4 x 0 inch

€995

Painting, Benzema, PyB

PyB

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

€190

Painting, Equitation, Raymond Poulet

Raymond Poulet

Painting . 35 x 27 x 2 cm Painting . 13.8 x 10.6 x 0.8 inch

€3,500