The flame is coming home, the director of the Paris Olympics, Tony Estanguet, told a crowd of reporters and critics gathered in the Louvres interior sculpture garden on Tuesday. The sun streamed through the vaulted glass roof, lighting up a bronze sculpture of a discus thrower installed beneath a lapis blue arch emblazoned with LOlympisme Olympism.
Estanguet, a former Olympic champion, might have been describing the Gamess centennial return to France. After the Olympic flame makes its way from Athens to Paris, via a handful of French overseas territories, it will be installed in the Tuileries Garden just beyond the Louvre, whose grounds will also be part of the marathon route this summer. But the museum itself holds a special connection to the birth of the modern Olympics, a relationship that is explored in the exhibition Olympism: Modern Invention, Ancient Legacy, running through Sept. 16.
The show brings together 120 artworks and artifacts that show how the quadrennial sporting events of 8th century B.C. Greece, devoted to the worship of Zeus, influenced the late-19th-century development of the modern Games. The first iteration of these new competitions took place in Athens in 1896, but Frenchmen and a French fascination with antiquity played a large role, and in 1900, the Games moved to Paris.
A wall of photographic portraits at the Louvre identifies six men, four of them French, who envisioned the revival. For the aristocratic Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin, it was about sporting education; for his Greek counterpart, Demetrius Vikelas, it was a mix of business and history. This slightly dry introductory display gives way to a series of rooms that focus on the art of the Olympics: a mix of antique veneration and turn-of-the-century innovation.
Greek vases, plates, and cups from the 5th and 6th centuries B.C. illustrate the classical imagery, deeply rooted in mythology, that was associated with ancient Games. On the Lambros Cup (540-520 B.C.), nude runners black figures on red clay race around the ample vessel, their muscular legs frozen mid-stride. A cup from around 490 B.C. shows a discus thrower encircled by a decorative motif.
Many of these objects are from the Louvres collection, and it was one of its own curators, Edmond Pottier, who pioneered the study of ancient Greek pottery around the time that de Coubertin and his peers were seized with Olympic fervor. Pottiers profile features on a giant 1934 bronze medallion that hangs above a copy of his Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum a definitive catalog of Greek vases in collections around the world that began as an index of Louvre artifacts.
Herakles, the divine warrior credited with founding the ancient Olympics, also looms large in the exhibition as an embodiment of preternatural strength. A calyx krater (a tall bowl for mixing water and wine) from 515-10 B.C. shows Herakles, a son of Zeus, fighting the giant Antaois. On the black vessel, Herakles is a taut nude figure in red clay against black, wrestling his burly opponent into submission. Elsewhere, he is a portly infant struggling against a snake that coils above him, in a statue admired by mile Gilliron, the official artist of the inaugural modern Games.
Gillirons drawings for Olympic brochures, commemorative albums and posters hang alongside his sketches and studies for medallions, plaques and trophies. The artist also produced images of wrestlers, discus throwers, torch bearers and weight lifters for special-edition stamps whose colored sheets are on display in vitrines, as well as blown up on the gallery walls behind the statues that inspired them. Unlike the ancient ceramics, however, these are 20th-century replicas made to aid study: What is new can seem old, and vice versa.
Amid these elegant but somewhat staid arrangements are hints at the more idiosyncratic aspects of the Olympic Games as reimagined by the French. A contact sheet produced by the photographer (and rival of Eadweard Muybridge) tienne-Jules Marey shows how the technology of chronophotography, which captures frames of movement in quick succession, was used to reconstruct the movements of ancient Greek athletes, based on the still postures seen in relics. In Mareys stills, a nude man spins around and around, disc in hand, gathering speed, until he flings it into the distance.
Nearby, Jean Rovras 1924 film The Olympic Games as They Were Practiced in Ancient Greece stages the act of discus throwing as a slow-motion pantomime in which an artfully dressed modern-day Adonis theatrically lobs his disc with the elegance of a dancer. Another shot shows a still-life tableau of six spear throwers paused mid-movement, elapsing time from left to right, their arms shaking with effort as they hold their unmoving posture.
An attempt at including women in the history of the Games doesnt really work, mostly because they were hardly permitted to compete in the 1896 Athens Olympics, or those that followed in Paris in 1900 and 1924, London in 1908, Stockholm in 1912 and onward. While other international sporting competitions evolved, the Olympics continued refusing full participation to women until 1928. (London 2012 was the first time every participating country sent women to the Games, and this summer in Paris there will be quotas to ensure an equal number of female and male participants.)
There was one video of women competing in the 1896 Games on display, but it was broken, so I dont know what it showed: perhaps croquet or sailing, two of the sports available to female athletes. Elsewhere a curatorial stretch were some films of Isadora Duncan, the late-19th-century choreographer who admired neoclassical traditions, dancing in her garden. A few drawings and plates of Greek heroines hung in the same display Nike the winged goddess flying, or sowing seeds over a stadium but female allegories are not women.
An 1869 painting, The Soldier of Marathon, depicts the famous messenger who ran home shedding all extraneous objects, including clothes and shoes, along the way to announce the triumph of his compatriots over the invading Persians. As soon as he delivered the news, he dropped dead.
This legend inspired the French linguist and educator Michel Bral to conceive of the 26.2-mile marathon race as the ultimate physical test and a cornerstone of the 1896 Games. In a darkened Louvre walkway filled with relics and replicas of gleaming trophies, Brals Silver Cup, which he designed himself, is spotlit on a small plinth. It is a sparkling object, pure silver, but modest and slender. Reeds and flowers swirl around its base, just like the Marathon marshlands that foiled the Persian attack.
Olympism tells us much about the ancient history admired by the modern Frenchmen whose games return to Paris in July. During the ancient Games, it was decreed that all hostilities must cease for their duration. It is this sentiment, however utopian, that we still see in the Olympic emblem, with its five interlocking rings, designed by de Coubertin over a century ago. These five rings represent the five parts of the world now won over to Olympism, he wrote in 1913 in the Olympic Review. At the Louvre, you may be won over, too.
Olympism: Modern Invention, Ancient Legacy Through Sept. 16 at the Louvre in Paris; louvre.fr.
Continued here:
At the Louvre, the Olympics Are More French Than You Might Think - The New York Times
- Guide to New Sports at the Tokyo Olympics - NBC Connecticut - August 8th, 2021 [August 8th, 2021]
- At Tokyo Olympics, Door Slams and Idle Chatter Fill in the Soundtrack - The New York Times - August 8th, 2021 [August 8th, 2021]
- Extraordinary moments from the Tokyo Olympics that outshined the competition - CBS News - August 8th, 2021 [August 8th, 2021]
- Olympics Synchronised swimming-Evil dolls and rap music, the new face of synchro - Reuters - August 8th, 2021 [August 8th, 2021]
- Why India Struggles to Win Gold Medals in the Olympics - The New York Times - August 8th, 2021 [August 8th, 2021]
- Tokyo Olympics: golds for Kenny and Archibald, silver for Muir and more as it happened - The Guardian - August 8th, 2021 [August 8th, 2021]
- Second Best in the World at the Tokyo Olympics, but Still Saying Sorry - The New York Times - August 8th, 2021 [August 8th, 2021]
- For the Next Summer Olympics, Paris 2024 Presses On With Plan A, but Studies Tokyo's Plan B - The New York Times - August 8th, 2021 [August 8th, 2021]
- Olympics 2021 - Five-time Olympic gold medalists Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi are 'greatest teammates in history of sports' - ESPN - August 8th, 2021 [August 8th, 2021]
- Tokyo Olympics on Thursday: No Easy Wins - The New York Times - August 8th, 2021 [August 8th, 2021]
- IOC votes to give itself more power to remove sports from Olympics - ESPN - August 8th, 2021 [August 8th, 2021]
- Mixed bag: Erratic Pandemic Olympics wind to a nuanced end - Associated Press - August 8th, 2021 [August 8th, 2021]
- The Tokyo Olympics Indelible Moments of Loss and Solidarity - The New Yorker - August 8th, 2021 [August 8th, 2021]
- How the Olympics Hurt Tokyo's Economy - The New York Times - August 8th, 2021 [August 8th, 2021]
- Is It Time to End the Olympics? - The Atlantic - August 8th, 2021 [August 8th, 2021]
- 2021 Olympics -- In baseball, Japan got the gold it has wanted forever - ESPN - August 8th, 2021 [August 8th, 2021]
- The Olympics Are All Fun, No Games on TikTok - The New York Times - August 8th, 2021 [August 8th, 2021]
- Why Host The Olympics? : The Indicator from Planet Money - NPR - August 8th, 2021 [August 8th, 2021]
- Olympics End as They Began: Strangely - The New York Times - August 8th, 2021 [August 8th, 2021]
- List of Olympic Games host cities - Wikipedia - October 27th, 2022 [October 27th, 2022]
- Mexico launches bid for 2036 Summer Games - Reuters - October 27th, 2022 [October 27th, 2022]
- What are the Olympics? (with pictures) - Sports & Nobbies - October 27th, 2022 [October 27th, 2022]
- Summer Olympic Games - Wikipedia - October 27th, 2022 [October 27th, 2022]
- United Airlines has teamed up with Special Olympics to make sure your holiday travel is a little easier at DIA - Denver 7 Colorado News - December 14th, 2022 [December 14th, 2022]
- Paris 2024 Summer Olympics - Summer Olympic Games in France - December 14th, 2022 [December 14th, 2022]
- Former US pairs figure skater Bridget Namiotka dead at 32 - December 14th, 2022 [December 14th, 2022]
- Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games | History, Medals, & Facts - January 31st, 2023 [January 31st, 2023]
- World champion skier Kyle Smaine dies in avalanche at age 31 - January 31st, 2023 [January 31st, 2023]
- Le Clos 'Confident' He Can Win 100 Fly At 2024 Olympic Games - SwimSwam - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- Worlds Most Romantic River is Cleaned Up Ahead of the 2024 ... - Good News Network - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- Get ready to 'Duke It Out!' Local kids' boxing club to compete at 2023 Junior Olympics Boxing Tournament - KIIITV.com - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- Kylian Mbappe: My 'dream' is to play at Paris Olympics - ESPN.co.uk - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- Special Olympics hosts Area 5 Track and Field Meet in Bowling Green - wnky.com - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- Australian Athletes To Be Removed From Paris Olympic Village ... - SwimSwam - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- New boxing organization hopes to salvage Olympic future - ESPN - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- WOW Carwash Makes a Splash with Donation to Special Olympics - 24-7 Press Release - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- Minnesota native gets a shot at Paris Olympics after stellar Boston ... - MPR News - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- Chico High and Chico State students team up for Special Olympics - Action News Now - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- Tour de France, Worlds, Olympics, Monuments - The sky is the limit ... - Cyclingnews - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- Copper Country Senior Olympics opens monthlong event schedule - Silver City Daily Press and Independent - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- U of M ice skater, recovering from devastating knee injury, has her sights set on Olympic glory - CBS News - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- Russia basketball teams banned through Olympic qualifying - Home of the Olympic Channel - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- Brisbane Olympics leader marks 1 year in long run up to 2032 - Fremont Tribune - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- FIBA bans Russia men's basketball from 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris - CBS Sports - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- Faster, higher, smaller: Europe's 'tiny Olympics' you've probably never heard of before - Euronews - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- Pope: 2024 Olympics a chance to bear joyful witness to Christ - Vatican News - April 19th, 2023 [April 19th, 2023]
- You Can Win a Trip to the Paris Olympics Complete With a Visit to Champagne - Food & Wine - May 2nd, 2024 [May 2nd, 2024]
- Eliud Kipchoge and Peres Jepchirchir named in Kenya's final Paris 2024 Olympics marathon squad - Olympics - May 2nd, 2024 [May 2nd, 2024]
- Gabby Douglas Is Making Her Gymnastics Comeback In Time For The Olympics - Yahoo Singapore News - May 2nd, 2024 [May 2nd, 2024]
- Anti-Israel protesters demand country be treated like Russia during Summer Olympics in Paris - Washington Examiner - May 2nd, 2024 [May 2nd, 2024]
- France wants to use Greece's air defense system for the Olympics, report says - POLITICO Europe - May 2nd, 2024 [May 2nd, 2024]
- Alex Morgan out injured for San Diego with Olympics looming - ESPN - May 2nd, 2024 [May 2nd, 2024]
- Victor Montalvo represents U.S. in breaking Olympics debut - WESH 2 Orlando - May 2nd, 2024 [May 2nd, 2024]
- Almost all mountain goats died after airlift from Olympics to Cascades | HeraldNet.com - The Daily Herald - May 2nd, 2024 [May 2nd, 2024]
- Benjamin Cremaschi? Paxten Aaronson? USMNT told 2024 Olympics will show who is a gamer as Stuart Holden calls ... - Goal.com - May 2nd, 2024 [May 2nd, 2024]
- 9 Destinations in France to Enjoy the Olympics Outside of Paris - The New York Times - May 2nd, 2024 [May 2nd, 2024]
- joachim roncin on designing paris 2024 olympics and paralympics' posters, medals and more - Designboom - May 2nd, 2024 [May 2nd, 2024]
- Paris Olympics hotels you can still book with points - The Points Guy - May 2nd, 2024 [May 2nd, 2024]
- Carmelo Anthony explains why USA Basketball needs 'The Avengers' at Paris Olympics on 'Point Forward' - SB Nation - May 2nd, 2024 [May 2nd, 2024]
- Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics: 'The Olympics are too strong to be damaged by Russia' - Le Monde - May 2nd, 2024 [May 2nd, 2024]
- 'Hit them in the face,' Lukashenko tells Belarusian athletes ahead of Olympics - POLITICO Europe - May 2nd, 2024 [May 2nd, 2024]
- Gabby Douglas Qualifies for U.S. Championships and Gets Closer to Olympics but Still Has 'Kinks to Work Out' - PEOPLE - May 2nd, 2024 [May 2nd, 2024]
- France unions, pro-Palestinian protesters march on May Day before Olympics - The Washington Post - May 2nd, 2024 [May 2nd, 2024]