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Allégorie aux sports

Charles de Coubertin1896

The Olympic Museum

The Olympic Museum
Lausanne, Switzerland

The subject of this painting is the resurrection of the Olympic Games by Pierre de Coubertin, fed from their ancient and French roots. The city goddess Athena is enthroned before the ruins of the Erechtheion, a temple to the mythical founding fathers of venerable Athens. The citizens of Athens have gathered at her feet and beside her. The group is a cryptic representation of ancient Greek culture, in which the competitions played a central social role. While a citizen of antiquity holds up a branch as an ancient Olympic Games symbol of victory, Athena is placing a wreath on the head of a victorious Modern Age athlete, probably a rugby player. Here, the subject switches from Antiquity to the Modern Age, as a fencer stands behind him. Other types of sport follow, such as cycling, popular in France, rowing and polo. Apparently, Pierre de Coubertin regarded this representation as being so apt that he used it as the cover picture for the official IOC magazine, “Revue olympique”, from 1901 to 1914.

Details

  • Title: Allégorie aux sports
  • Creator Lifespan: 1822 - 1908
  • Creator Nationality: French
  • Creator Gender: Male
  • Creator Birth Place: Paris, France
  • Date Created: 1896
  • Location Created: France
  • Physical Dimensions: w800 x h975 cm (Complete)
  • Painter: Charles de Coubertin
  • Description: Leg. "Paris Athènes (in Greek, translit. Athinai)". Signed. Golden wooden frame.
  • Artistic school or movement: Charles Louis de Frédy was a well-respected genre and church painter, who became known primarily for his large murals in churches and public buildings. In 1848/49, he visited North Africa and the Orient and returned with a range of fresh, almost impressionistic watercolours. Later, Charles de Coubertin’s style changed; in particular he interpreted serious religious subjects. “Le Cortège Pontifical” (1860) and “Le Départ des Missionaires” (1868) are two examples of roughly 100 murals by the painter. For more than 40 years, Charles de Coubertin exhibited in the famous “Salon de Paris” as Superintendant of Fine Arts. Of particular interest are his personal sketches and paintings of landscapes, especially those of Normandy, his wife’s homeland, and of the Château Mirville. There are also a considerable number of portrait sketches of his family, especially of the four children. Charles de Coubertin (1822-1908) was in fact the father of Baron Pierre de Coubertin (1863-1937), the man behind the creation of the Olympic Games of the modern era. He sketched his youngest son Pierre many times in his childhood years. Pierre later influenced his father to interpret sporting themes and representations of Olympism. This “Allégorie aux sports” was part of that creative phase.
  • Type: Paintings
  • Rights: International Olympic Committee, 1984, ©IOC/G.Peter
  • External Link: IOC/The Olympic Museum
  • Medium: Oil on canvas

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