En jeu ! Artists and sport (1870-1930)

Art enthusiasts will enjoy visiting the the Marmottan Monet Museum, a shrine to one of the world’s greatest impressionist painters. But this museum also invites you to explore many other worlds… On the eve of the Paris Olympic & Paralympic Games, it is to take part in the Cultural Olympiad by offering its own take on sport in an exhibition entitled En jeu ! Artists and sport. The exhibition offers an opportunity to plunge into the history of sport imagery from 1870 to 1930 through an impressive selection from public and private collections in Europe, the United States and Japan, such as the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the Pompidou Centrein Paris and the Peggy-Guggenheim collection in Venice, to name but a few. Whether you’re an occasional jogger or a high-level athlete, you should enjoy this plunge into the world of art.

Art and sport in the Second Empire

The exhibition entitled En jeu ! Artists and sport depicts society in the second half of the 19th century, from a recreational and sporting viewpoint. Both on land and on water, sportspeople and spectators have redefined the status of women and men in French society. In fact, sporting practices gained strong momentum under the Second Empire, when leisure activities became more accessible to the public at large. Originally the privilege of the aristocracy, sports like horse racing, fencing and tennis contributed to the noble image of the gentleman. Social progress in terms of working hours and productivity gradually helped to put sports within the reach of the working classes. Despite being mocked at the time by cartoonists and caricaturists, little by little, sports became recognised as artistic subjects. The exhibition aims to highlight this diversity of genres and practices.

Sport as seen by leading artists

The era’s great masters of painting, sculpture and photography have become witnesses to these sporting and cultural changes. The 160 artworks displayed at the Marmottan Monet Museum are good examples. Alfred Sisley, Egard Degas and Claude Monet all painted legendary portraits of upper-class citizens, while artists like Honoré Daumier and Félicien Rops made fun of athletes from the working classes. So what if the athletes portrayed in acrylic and copper turned out to be nothing more than a reflection of the inner struggles of the portrait artists who depicted them?

For new cultural discoveries, visit the exhibitions of the Paris Region.