Cover: "The skater", Andy Warhol
James Rosenquist
Jiri Kolar
XIV Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo, Fine Arts Portfolio (1984)
Giuseppe Marino curated the graphic fine art portfolio for the XIV Olympic Games in Sarajevo, selecting a group of artists who would go on to achieve global recognition in the art world.
​The original presentation of the graphic portfolio read: "Visconti Art Spectrum and Proscenium Inc., in conjunction with the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Winter Games, are proud to present the official fine art portfolio and posters for the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.
The portfolio consists of original prints by eighteen of the world’s leading contemporary artists, signed and numbered 1–150, and I–150 in Roman numerals. The posters bear the official Olympic insignia and inscription to commemorate the event. A contribution from sales goes to support the Olympic games.
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The images are as diverse as the Olympic disciplines and the athletes they celebrate. They range from Warhol’s dynamic rendition of a speedskater (top left on this webpage) to the dreamlike flight of a ski jumper, as seen by Folon; from Helnwein’s realistic portrait of a victorious skier to Hwang’s humorous and lyrical reflection on the nature of sports. There are specific references to the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo by Hundertwasser and Twombly and general statements like Henry Moore’s Greek heads or Pistoletto’s Olympic balloon.
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In its variety of artistic expression and subject matter, the “Art and Sports” portfolio represents a fitting tribute to the international character of the Olympic games and to the spirit of peaceful competition."
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Cy Twombly
Kyy-Baik Hwang
Michelangelo Pistoletto
Press reviews & commemorative events
(2024) Warhol and Hockney in Belgrade: First Exhibition of Posters from the Sarajevo Olympics Opens – 40 Years Later
The exhibition was organized by the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Midcentury Belgrade, and the Museum of Applied Arts.
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"The Yugoslav Olympic Committee of the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympic Games wanted to give this event a certain cultural and artistic emphasis. Although today it is common practice for posters to be the biggest artistic link with the Olympic Games, and the organizing committees of the Olympic Games hire recognized artists to design them, Sarajevo in 1984 left an exceptional impression with the volume and quality of its graphic works. It is not often that so many artists, as well as so many prominent world names, contribute to a single event as it happened here, which built an exceptional artistic and cultural heritage of the Games, Sarajevo itself and the whole of Yugoslavia," the catalog text points out. exhibitions."
For more information on the Fine Art Portfolio of the XIV Olympic games and press coverage, please contact us.