In anticipation of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), in collaboration with global organizing entities, unveiled a series of art posters as part of the Cultural Olympiad initiative. A total of fourteen posters were crafted to commemorate this event.
Unveiling Olympic posters has been a cherished tradition in the lead-up to the Games, starting with Stockholm’s 1912 Olympics. Paris is now adding its unique flair to this historic practice.
What stands out most about the posters is their variety. Each participating artist was given the assignment to create one poster for the Olympics and another for the Paralympics. A panel comprising athletes, artists, and officials selected the finest submissions.
Among the winners are five French artists and two Americans. Although the artists steered clear of political messaging, they were encouraged to stretch their creative muscles in their designs, which is evident in their work.
Take for instance Stephanie Lacombe’s realistic depiction, which portrays a Paralympic fencer attentively regarding his sabre, set against a subdued backdrop. Her poster captures the quiet intensity of an athlete on the verge of a monumental life event.
Conversely, Fanny Michaëlis presents an alluring poster filled with sinuous shapes and a splash of the quintessential Olympic hues.
Gilles Elie’s designs embrace abstraction, remixing the iconic Olympic colors into novel and inventive arrangements. For instance, his Paralympics poster creatively symbolizes wheelchair racing, with clever use of shapes and colors conveying movement and dynamism.
With the poster launch, the IOC also introduced the Cultural Olympiad’s dedicated website, offering the public a glimpse into the schedule of events to come. This year’s highlights include:
-
European Heritage Days: 16 and 17 September 2023
-
Autumn of the Cultural Olympiad: 21 September to 21 December 2023
