Two major exhibitions have been organized in parallel with the 2024 Olympic games in Paris this summer. The Louvre focusses on the rebirth of the games in Athens in 1896 and their relationship to the games in ancient Olympia. The Marmottan brings together an eclectic collection of paintings that trace the emergence of sport in modern painting first as a gentleman’s hobby and by the turn of the 20th century, as a social phenomenon with the advent of spectator sports.

Our lecture will take us on a fascinating journey that begins with the depiction of victorious athletes in marble by the great sculptors of ancient Greece to artists who painted the first horse races, rowing competitions or boxing matches (Degas, Eakins, Sisley, Toulouse-Lautrec, Bellows) to those depicting sport teams and modern athleticism (Metzinger, Delaunay, Lhotte).