Los Angeles artist Alison Saar to create Olympic sculpture for Paris

A new and original art piece will be making its way to Paris and not just any work of art: the Olympic Sculpture, inspired by sport and Olympic values. To create it, the City of Paris and the IOC have chosen a renowned visual artist: Alison Saar.

In an eco-friendly approach, the sculpture's materials will be produced in France, under the artist's supervision. It's also a way of "supporting French craftsmanship and suppliers whose know-how is recognized worldwide", explains Alison Saar.

Born in Los Angeles in 1956, the Alison Saar's work addresses issues of social justice and compassion. In her sculptures and engravings, she honors long under-represented and marginalized people, past and present. Her work includes the first monument to a black woman, Harriet Tubman, it is installed in the streets of New York.

Alison Saar's work has been exhibited in major American museums and art centers, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa), the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Art Museum. The Olympic sculpture she will create for Paris will be her first project outside the USA! It will be officially unveiled in Paris on Olympic Day, June 23th.

The work is part of the Olympic Art Visions program initiated by the IOC. The aim of this program is to forge links between the host cities, symbolically passing on the cultural legacy of the Olympic and Paralympic Games through the work of visual artists. A French artist, Xavier Veilhan, created the Olympic work for the Tokyo 2021 Games, entitled The Audience. The Audience is now permanently installed in the Japanese capital.

Since Los Angeles will succeed Paris as host city for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, a personality had to be chosen from a list of American artists, who were invited to submit their sketches. An advisory committee made up of representatives from the IOC, the City of Paris, the Paris 2024 Games Organizing Committee and members of the international art community unanimously chose Alison Saar.

"I am deeply honored to have been chosen to create the Olympic sculpture. I hope that this work of art, a gift to Parisians, will become a unifying place and a symbol of the spirit of friendship and interconnection between cultures and across borders", she said, reacting to the news of her selection.