THE ART OF THE OLYMPICS
Gagosian collaborates with the Olympic Museum on a two-part exhibition entitled The Art of the Olympics celebrating the spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024. The exhibitions are on rue du Castiglione and rue de Ponthieu.
June 6 - September, 2024
Man Ray’s similarly playful Jeux Nocturnes (c. 1970) infuses the soccer ball itself with a spirit of mystery that suggests a hidden dynamic, while Duane Hanson’s polychrome bronze sculpture Bodybuilder (1989–90) portrays an unnamed muscular, shirtless man encountered by the artist at a gym in Hollywood, Florida; the subject’s skin is sheened with sweat and his expression conveys a state of deep self-immersion.
Among the highlights are David Hockney’s summery design for the 1972 Games in Munich, which features an image of an athlete diving into the undulating blue-and-green waters of a swimming pool; Robert Rauschenberg’s Star in Motion (1982), a fragmented photographic collage selected as the official poster for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles; Cy Twombly’s poster for the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, which draws on the ancient origins of the games in a characteristic scrawl; and Rachel Whiteread’s playful abstract interpretation of the Olympic Games London 2012, which comprises a constellation of overlapping rings of bright colored paint.
Other artists represented by specially commissioned graphics include Christo, Michael Craig-Martin, Tracey Emin, Howard Hodgkin, Roy Lichtenstein, Henry Moore, Nam June Paik, Park Seo-Bo, Pablo Picasso, James Rosenquist, Pierre Soulages, Andy Warhol, and Zao Wou-Ki.
Together, the two parts of The Art of the Olympics celebrate the dynamic interplay between art and sport, fostering a vibrant dialogue that continually rejuvenates and enriches both realms. This exhibition, which pays tribute to the cultural significance of sport in contemporary society, continues a gallery tradition, established in 2019 with An Exhibition for Notre-Dame at rue de Ponthieu, of responding directly to key events in the city.
The display at rue de Castiglione will be visible from the street twenty-four hours a day, while the whole exhibition will remain open to visitors for an extended period through the summer during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Located in the Olympic Capital of Lausanne, Switzerland, the Olympic Museum is the official home of the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of Olympic heritage, including artifacts, archives, images, books, and film. The museum’s international exhibitions and programs connect people of all ages with the diverse stories, art, history, and culture of the global phenomenon that is the Olympic Games