From Andy Warhol to David Hockney, 1984 Was a Pivotal Year for Olympic Art
A recent Instagram post from Tokyo 2020 on an official Olympics-inspired collaboration with local artists at Narita Airport inspired me to loo k back at a pivotal period of Games art in the 1980s.
The practice of art commissions to celebrate an upcoming Games started in earnest with Munich 1972, but Sarajevo 1984 and Los Angeles 1984 are particular Olympics that stood out for its connections with noted modern artists like Andy Warhol, Richard Diebenkorn, David Hockney, and Robert Rauschenberg.
Let's revisit the work.
Sarajevo 1984
Lazar Vujic commissioned a group of noted contemporary artists, including Warhol, Cyril Twombley, Hockney and more, to create works for an "Portfolio Art and Sport" exhibit at his Visconti Art Gallery ahead of the Winter Games. Official posters for the Games were produced.
The practice of art commissions to celebrate an upcoming Games started in earnest with Munich 1972, but Sarajevo 1984 and Los Angeles 1984 are particular Olympics that stood out for its connections with noted modern artists like Andy Warhol, Richard Diebenkorn, David Hockney, and Robert Rauschenberg.
Let's revisit the work.
Sarajevo 1984
Lazar Vujic commissioned a group of noted contemporary artists, including Warhol, Cyril Twombley, Hockney and more, to create works for an "Portfolio Art and Sport" exhibit at his Visconti Art Gallery ahead of the Winter Games. Official posters for the Games were produced.
Los Angeles 1984
L.A. '84 was certainly noted for its overall custom look, and organizers also commissioned their own portfolio of artists. 15 artists' works were re-purposed for posters as well.
L.A. '84 was certainly noted for its overall custom look, and organizers also commissioned their own portfolio of artists. 15 artists' works were re-purposed for posters as well.
Although Warhol wasn't asked to contribute to the 1984 Summer Games project, he made his mark on his own. His partnership with Jean-Michel Basquiat on Olympics (1984) became the second-most expensive piece of their collaboration sold at auction.
The duo also worked on Olympic Rings (1985). Both pieces followed the usual style of their collaboration:; Warhol provided a recognizable base, which Basquiat later "defaced".
Tokyo 2020 continues the legacy, with its own selection of artists' work, many of which persist in an abstract, inventive presentation of Olympic enthusiasm.
Which pieces will become iconic reminders of the Games?
Which pieces will become iconic reminders of the Games?
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