The Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, has taken over Paris, and we’re inspired by the athleticism, the energy and the style on display. To honor the occasion, we’ve selected 16 treasures from years past sure to delight sports fans.
Jacob Lawrence Signed Munich Olympic Games Poster
American artist Jacob Lawrence (1917–2000) — best known for “The Migration Series,” a collection of paintings depicting the mass movement of African Americans from the southern U.S. to the northern states in the early 20th century — created this image, titled Five Black Athletes in a Relay Race, for the 1972 Summer Games. The poster was printed after Lawrence’s 1971 gouache study, now in the permanent collection of the Seattle Art Museum. This serigraph is from a limited edition of 200 hand signed by the artist.
Misha the Bear Porcelain Figure
Misha the bear, the official mascot of the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics — and an icon of Olympics marketing — was conceived by cartoonist and children’s book illustrator Victor Chizhikov (1935–2020).
Silver Pocket Knife Featuring Helsinki Olympic Stadium
Probably made for the 1952 Summer Olympics, this knife sports an image of the Helsinki Olympic Stadium, which hosted those games. The venue, designed by architects Yrjö Lindegren and Toivo Jäntti and completed in 1938, was built to welcome the 1940 Summer Olympics, but that year’s festivities were canceled amid the turmoil of World War II.
Walter Herz London Olympic Games Poster
Painter, illustrator and lawyer Walter Herz (1909–65) fled Czechoslovakia when the Nazis invaded and settled in London, where he launched a commercial art studio. For this 1948 poster, he layered renderings of the classical Discobolus of Myron, London’s Palace of Westminster and the Olympic rings to forge a memorable image.
The Games of the XIV Olympiad were the first Summer Olympics held after the end of World War II, which had caused a 12-year hiatus in the event. Because of rationing and harsh postwar economic conditions, people called them the Austerity Games.
Olympics Pinball Arcade Game
Designed by pinball engineer Wayne Neyens (1918–2022) for Chicago manufacturer D. Gottlieb & Co., this machine features art by the prolific Roy Parker, whose work graces well more than 200 editions of Gottlieb games.
Marvin Newman Photo of Cassius Clay at the Rome Olympics
Photographer Marvin Newman (1927–2023), a native New Yorker who studied with the renowned Berenice Abbott, captured the eighteen-year-old Cassius Clay, later known as Muhammad Ali, receiving the gold in light heavyweight boxing at the 1960 Summer Games in Rome.
Five Olympic Rowers, by James Stroudley
In his 20s, English painter and printmaker James Stroudley (1906–85) received a scholarship to study in Rome. There, he developed the monumental sporting figures seen here. The large-scale 1930 oil on canvas is one of several Stroudley works depicting Olympic athletes.
Willem Jacob Rozendaal Porcelain Plate
Although archery was not among the events in the 1928 Summer Olympics, Dutch artist Willem Jacob Rozendaal (1899–1971), who is best known for his stained glass and woodcuts, featured the Greek centaur Chiron drawing his bow on this hand-painted plate produced by Maastricht manufacturer N.V. De Sphinx to commemorate the Amsterdam games.
Ray-Ban Wayfarer Barcelona Olympics Sunglasses
These vintage Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses celebrate the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. They’re decorated with graphics from the poster designed for the games by Spanish artist Enric Satué (1938– ).
Olympic Swimmer, by Alex Katz
The Brooklyn-born painter and sculptor Alex Katz (1927– ) began making prints in the mid-1960s. He was influenced by Japanese woodcuts — and, in this 1976 editioned silkscreen, perhaps inspired as well by the much-decorated U.S. men’s swimming team, which took home the gold in 12 of 13 events at that year’s Summer Games in Montreal.
USSR Sports Bag
Crafted from Naugahyde, this handy Russian bag was likely designed by Adidas for the 1984 Winter Games in Sarajevo, then part of the former nation of Yugoslavia.
Olympic Sports Kimono
Made for the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, this ready-to-frame Japanese kimono is emblazoned with sports imagery, encouraging slogans and fragments of a song score.
Olympic Champion, by John Button
Although many of his contemporaries in New York City became Abstract Expressionists, John Button (1929–82), who taught at the School of Visual Arts, remained a steadfast proponent of realism. This vivid 1965 oil painting was likely inspired by American swimmer Don Schollander, who won four gold medals at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Gabriel Medina Tokyo Summer Olympics Surfboard
When surfing made its debut as an Olympic sport in Tokyo in 2021, Brazilian surf star Gabriel Medina competed on this board, which was shaped by São Paulo native Johnny Cabianca, the founder of Basque Country Surf Company in Zarautz, Spain.
Sèvres Paris Olympics Vase
French painter, illustrator and interior designer Octave Denis Victor Guillonnet (1872–1967) designed this rare vase for the famed porcelain factory Manufacture nationale de Sèvres to mark the 1924 Summer Olympics, held in Paris. Guillonnet created four different versions of the vessel, each depicting a different summer sport; only 309 pieces were produced in total. The hand-painted vases were awarded to gold medal winners at the games. One recipient was Johnny Weissmuller, an American swimming champion who would later star in the Tarzan movies of the 1930s and ’40s.
Omega Seamaster Olympic Games Collection Watch
Since 1932, renowned Swiss watch company Omega has been the official timekeeper of the games. This stainless-steel model, from the brand’s limited-edition Seamaster Olympic Games Collection, bears the Olympic logo on its face and has a sporty NATO strap. Watches in the collection come in the five colors of the Olympic rings — blue, yellow, black, green and red.
