As the 2024 Olympic Games opens in Paris, we are celebrating this momentous occasion with an exhibition of a rare, unseen collection of first edition prints from the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. The Munich Games were not only a turning point in West Germany’s global status, but the first time the Olympics were promoted through artists’ limited edition prints.
Various Artists, ‘Edition Olympia 1972, Munich Art Posters’, 1972, various mediums
To promote a link between art and sport, the 1972 Olympic Committee commissioned 28 internationally acclaimed artists to produce a fine art print, giving them free reign to interpret the Olympic spirit through their own distinctive styles and themes.
Victor Vasarely, Kraft und Natur, 1971
Alongside this series, Hungarian-French artist Victor Vasarely was asked to produce a further two works that reinterpreted the 1972 Olympic emblem, which was designed by Coordt von Mannstein in conjunction with the lead graphic designer of the Games, Otl Aicher.
Coordt von Mannstein; Otl Aicher, Radiant Munich, 1970
Titled Radiant Munich, the emblem depicts spiralling rays of light, symbolising the spirit of the Munich Games and a new West Germany that is defined by ‘Light, Freshness and Generosity’. The emblem’s use of geometric shapes complimented Vasarely’s Op-Art style seamlessly, and his inclusion of colour in his own two works created the illusion of spatial depth as well as a kinetic energy.
Contact us for price and further details.
