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, Windsurf, Stéphane Cantin

Stéphane Cantin

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

€400

Painting, Golf, Stéphane Cantin

Stéphane Cantin

Painting . 60 x 20 x 1.5 cm Painting . 23.6 x 7.9 x 0.6 inch

€230

Painting, Escalade, Stéphane Cantin

Stéphane Cantin

Painting . 60 x 20 x 1.5 cm Painting . 23.6 x 7.9 x 0.6 inch

€230

Painting, Boxe, Stéphane Cantin

Stéphane Cantin

Painting . 20 x 20 x 1.5 cm Painting . 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.6 inch

€150

Painting, Escrime, Stéphane Cantin

Stéphane Cantin

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

€430

Painting, Aviron, Stéphane Cantin

Stéphane Cantin

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

€430

Painting, Solitude, Stéphane Cantin

Stéphane Cantin

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

€400

Photography, Boxer Bruce, Sebastian Riemer

Sebastian Riemer

Photography . 125 x 100 x 3 cm Photography . 49.2 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch

€7,000

Print, Basket, Clément Dezelus

Clément Dezelus

Print . 90 x 90 x 3 cm Print . 35.4 x 35.4 x 1.2 inch

€429

Painting, Le golfeur, Lola B

Lola B

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

€900

Painting, Kite-Surfer, Marco

Marco

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

€250

Photography, Mans 70, LAT Archives

LAT Archives

Photography . 40 x 40 x 2 cm Photography . 15.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch

€490

Photography, Maestro, LAT Archives

LAT Archives

Photography . 36 x 54 x 1 cm Photography . 14.2 x 21.3 x 0.4 inch

€450

Photography, Phares 67, LAT Archives

LAT Archives

Photography . 30 x 45 x 2 cm Photography . 11.8 x 17.7 x 0.8 inch

€400

Photography, Glisse, LAT Archives

LAT Archives

Photography . 33 x 50 x 3 cm Photography . 13 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch

€450

Photography, Camion de luxe, LAT Archives

LAT Archives

Photography . 45 x 45 x 3 cm Photography . 17.7 x 17.7 x 1.2 inch

€395

Photography, Pitstop Ford5, LAT Archives

LAT Archives

Photography . 37 x 50 x 3 cm Photography . 14.6 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch

€395

Photography, 500cc, LAT Archives

LAT Archives

Photography . 30 x 66 x 4 cm Photography . 11.8 x 26 x 1.6 inch

€495

Photography, Histoire, LAT Archives

LAT Archives

Photography . 40 x 50 x 1 cm Photography . 15.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch

€395

Photography, Hellé Nice, LAT Archives

LAT Archives

Photography . 24 x 35 x 2 cm Photography . 9.4 x 13.8 x 0.8 inch

€390

Photography, Golfer, Jan Brunclík

Jan Brunclík

Photography . 42.5 x 30 x 0.1 cm Photography . 16.7 x 11.8 x 0 inch

€760

Photography, Evasion, Olivier Morin

Olivier Morin

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

€660

Print, Basket Legend, Tristan MM

Tristan MM

Print . 70 x 50 x 2 cm Print . 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch

€200

Painting, Nostalgie, Alain Arnouil

Alain Arnouil

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

€750

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

Photography, LaDy Le cri, Hervé Pezzini

Hervé Pezzini

Photography . 80 x 60 x 0.3 cm Photography . 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.1 inch

€500

Painting, Ballet-2, Anand Manchiraju

Anand Manchiraju

Painting . 54.6 x 69.9 cm Painting . 21.5 x 27.5 inch

€4,558

Painting, Ballet-1, Anand Manchiraju

Anand Manchiraju

Painting . 54.6 x 69.9 cm Painting . 21.5 x 27.5 inch

€4,558

Photography, Dallas (M), David Drebin

David Drebin

Photography . 121.9 x 172.7 cm Photography . 48 x 68 inch

€10,939

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

Photography, My Time, Fabrizio Alzati

Fabrizio Alzati

Photography . 20 x 27 cm Photography . 7.9 x 10.6 inch

€350

Painting, Mohamed, Erdna André

Erdna André

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

€400

Photography, Boxer boys, Richard Dunkley

Richard Dunkley

Photography . 61 x 50.8 x 2.5 cm Photography . 24 x 20 x 1 inch

€362

Photography, High dive, Richard Dunkley

Richard Dunkley

Photography . 61 x 50.8 x 2.5 cm Photography . 24 x 20 x 1 inch

€356

Print, Tableau 80, Leyoy

Leyoy

Print . 100 x 100 x 1 cm Print . 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.4 inch

€2,100

Sculpture, Gymnastique, Jean-Louis Corby

Jean-Louis Corby

Sculpture . 59 x 24 x 17 cm Sculpture . 23.2 x 9.4 x 6.7 inch

Price upon request

Photography, Gymnast, Elena Bandurka

Elena Bandurka

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

€365

Print, 24H du Mans, Teddy Gardez

Teddy Gardez

Print . 80 x 60 x 0.2 cm Print . 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.1 inch

€580

Photography, But !, Bruno Lecoq

Bruno Lecoq

Photography . 29.7 x 21 cm Photography . 11.7 x 8.3 inch

€260

Photography, Just sports, Andreas Zühlke

Andreas Zühlke

Photography . 80 x 80 x 0.3 cm Photography . 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.1 inch

€450

Photography, Ali le requin, Shuz

Shuz

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

€50

Painting, Jump124, SIlvia Caimi

SIlvia Caimi

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

€4,000

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