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Many works of art in Paris museums bear witness to the city's Olympic past. For decades, sport has been promoted through art. Find out about every art and sports exhibition currently on display in the capital.
Artists take on Olympic sports
The Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris is home to numerous works depicting Olympic sports through the ages, from new ones to "extinct" ones. Many famous artists such as Robert Delaunay, André Fourgeron, Jacques-Émile Blanche and Marie-Louise Simard were inspired by rugby. Marcel Gromaire also tried his hand at drawing rugby as well as cycling with his famous Coureur cyclist. Before Rugby Sevens became part of the Games in 2016, Rugby Union made four appearances until 1924.
The Athletes, a painting by Katherine Bradford, is currently being acquired by the museum.
L'Equipe de Cardiff by Robert Delaunay (1913) at the Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris.
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Domaine pubic
Coureur cycliste by Marcel Gromaire (1931) at the Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris.
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Adagp Paris-Créditr photo: Eric Emo/Parisienne de Photographie
Rugby by André Fougeron.
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Adagp, Paris - Crédit Photo: Eric Emo/ Parisienne de Photographie
Basque pelota, which featured at the 1900 Games, was immortalized by Jean Pal in a work kept at the Musée Carnavalet.
The same museum also houses a print by Victor Rose, dating from 1866 of the large gymnasium on rue des Martyrs, the birthplace of gymnastics. Along side cycling paintings, it also houses a painting of the Butte-aux-Cailles swimming pool by Auguste Leroux, dating from its opening in 1924.
"Les Six Jours au Vel' d'Hiv'", 1930, Alexandre Ganesco
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Carnavalet
A selection of Honoré Daumier's engravings of canoeists is on display at the Maison de Balzac. These freshwater sailors, adept at navigating the Seine, were pioneers of modern leisure activities and athletic sports from 1830 onwards.
Canoeing, by Daumier.
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Maison de Balzac
Daumier's canoeing engravings.
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Maison de Balzac
Daumier's canoeing engravings.
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Maison de Balzac
On display at the Musée d'Orsay, are bronze medals by Frédéric de Vernon depicting water sports, and François-Rupert Carabin's bronze plate depicting running.
Finally, as you stroll through Parisian parks and gardens, you'll come across statues depicting Olympic sports, such as Henri Lemaire's Archidamas statue in the Jardin du Luxembourg. More recently, a statue dedicated to the pioneer Alice Milliat was inaugurated: it stands alongside that of Pierre de Coubertin in the hall of the Maison du Sport at the Stade Charléty.
Sports photography
Many of the venues built for the Games at the beginning of the last century are still used by Parisians today, while others remain only in memory. At the Musée Carnavalet, visitors can see photographs of the Vélodrome d'Hiver by Cartier-Bresson, the Bois de Vincennes series by Schwartz in 1900, the Racing-club de France, the hippodrome d'Auteuil and the Georges-Vallerey swimming pool from above by Roger Henrard in the 1950s-1960s.
The Georges-Vallerey pool in the 20th arrondissement was originally called the Tourelles pool.
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Henrard, Roger
The Roger-Viollet agency has a large collection of archive photos of the 1900 and 1924 Games. They can be seen at rue de Seine (6th arrondissement) or on their website. This year, the gallery will put on a dedicated exhibition. In 2023, the Paris Rive droite / Rive gauche, les bords de Seine entre labeur et loisirs exhibition puts the Seine in the spotlight and presents sporting events such as swimming and diving championships.
Delbord diving on his bicycle at the French diving championship.
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Maurice-Louis Branger / Roger-Viollet
Artists at the heart of the Games
As well as finding inspiration in sporting disciplines, artists have sometimes been directly associated with the Olympic Games, particularly for promotion and advertising. Some have even played an active role. In 1924, painting, architecture, sculpture, music and literature were among the competing disciplines!
Jury members included such renowned artists as Jean Giraudoux, Henry de Montherlant, Paul Claudel, Maurice Ravel and Fernand Léger. That years medal winners didn't exactly go down in history.
At the Musée d'Art Moderne, Jean Dunand's bas-relief and various sculptures celebrate the ideal athlete. The Palais Galliera and the Musée Carnavalet have a number of advertising boards created by poster artists to publicize the Olympics, including those by Antoine Bourdelle for the 1924 Games, which actually weren't selected. The Carnavalet and the Petit Palais also display commemorative Sèvres vases, which were presented as trophies to winners.
Héraklès, research for the 1924 Olympic Games poster, Antoine Bourdelle.
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Musée Musée Bourdelle-libre de droit
Folded fan, "1924 Olympic Games" advertising balloon, Palais Galliera.
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Stephan Piera/galliera/ Roger-Viollet
Sèvres vase decorated with 4 porcelain medallions, Emile-Louis Bracquemond and Octave Guillonnet, at the Petit Palais
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Eric Emo/ Petit Palais/ Roger-Viollet
"1924 Olympic Games souvenir pipe", Fabrique Jacob Gambier
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Musée Carnavalet
Temporary exhibitions on the Games
Museums and sites of the City of Paris are fully committed to the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games and are taking part in the event by sharing collections on the theme of "Art and Sport". They're also hosting numerous events and activities as part of the Cultural Olympiad.
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Relive over 125 years of sporting history through three exhibitions in City of Paris museums open to the public: Paris, an Olympic centenary, The 1922 Women's World Games and History, sport and citizenship.
The 1922 Women's World Games" exhibition
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Christophe Jacquet / Ville de Paris
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The Louvre has loaned out 28 art pieces from its collections of antiques, modern sculptures and paintings to the Musée National du Sport in Nice for the "Victoires" exhibition , a meeting between past and present, ancient art and sport through universal values. Until September 17, 2023.
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The Musée des Arts Décoratifs presents "Mode et sport, d'un podium à l'autre", an exhibition exploring the fascinating links between fashion and sport, from Antiquity to the present day. On view from September 20, 2023.
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At the Petit Palais, the original Corps en mouvement (Bodies in Motion) trail will take visitors on a journey from the ancient games to the revolutionary practices of the 1900s. From May 2024.
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The Musée d'Art Moderne will explore representations of sport in modern and contemporary art through an "Art and Sport" trail. Autumn 2024.
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The Musée Carnavalet will be offering a themed tour of Olympic disciplines and sporting activities. From April 2024.
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The Maison de Victor Hugo will revisit fencing in the author's family. The museum will also focus on Paralympic fencing. In 2024.
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The Musée Cernuschi honors the equestrian art of ancient China. From June to September 2024.
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The Musée Zadkine presents an exhibition focusing on wrestling and bodies. Summer 2024.
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The Musée de la Libération de Paris - Musée du Général Leclerc - Musée Jean Moulin pays tribute to athletes turned Resistance fighters. April 2024.
At the Musée Cernuschi. Orchestra of Eight Riding Musicians - Tang Dynasty (618-907)
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Paris Musées-Musée Cernuschi
At the Musée de la Libération. Photo of Simonne Mathieu at the French Open in 1941.
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Musée de la Libération
At the Petit Palais. A tour of the body in motion. "The Swimmer" by Augustin Rouart
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Philippe Fuzeau
A podcast on art and sport
In September 2022, Paris Musées launched the Paris Musées Olympiques podcast series. Each episode is a fictional account that tells listeners about the great and sometimes forgotten stories of the Olympic Games, from Antoine Bourdelle's famous Herakles Archer sculpture to Victor Hugo's passion for fencing.
The Paris Games even won four Oscars!
The 1981 British film Chariots of Fire, directed by Hugh Hudson, is loosely based on the story of two British athletes competing in the 1924 Olympic Games. It won four Oscars in 1982: for best picture, original screenplay, costume design and music (Vangelis).
Vidéo Youtube
Selected Olympic Games reading :
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In the footsteps of the 1900 and 1924 Paris Olympic Games (1/9)
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Alice Milliat, at the forefront of women's sport (3/9)
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Insep, the Olympic champion factory (4/9)
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The incredible story of Michel Théato, marathon winner in 1900 (5/9)
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The origin of the Olympic Games: Pierre de Coubertin (6/9)
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José Letartre, riding to Paris 2024! (episode 7/9)
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10 Parisian sportsmen and women who left their mark on the capital (episode 8/9)
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Interview with sociologist Eric Monnin on the history of Parisian Olympism (9/9)
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