The summer exodus of Parisians to more leisurely destinations remains an established and somewhat admirable tradition.
The global demands of commerce and communication seem far less pressing than fleeing the city for several months, to coastal retreats and 'maisons de campagne'.
Galerie Marc Maison is bucking this trend, taking on the Paris art establishment and flinging its doors open for the summer. It is the only art gallery in the city to make this move. Not only is it 'ouvert pour l’été' the gallery is hosting a sports-themed exhibition during the Olympic Games.
Galerie Marc Maison can be found in the Marché aux Puces, in the northern suburb of Saint-Ouen. The Puces is one of the biggest antiques and second-hand markets in the world and is a sprawling labyrinth of warehouses, street stalls and boutique filled alleyways on the northern edge of Paris.
One of a pair of vases showing marathon runners, 1937, by Karine Liéven, Manufacture de Sèvres, with Porcelaine de Sèvres inscription, €14,000.
Summer siesta
Most galleries are following the lead of The Jeu de Paume which is taking a long siesta this summer. The cultural centre, found in the Tuileries Gardens near the Place de la Concorde has been forced to close from May 12 to September 27.
This action was prompted by the area’s proximity to Olympic events and the high density of people who are likely to swarm the streets. Around 15.3m visitors are expected to visit the capital during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This is quite an influx when you consider the population of the Paris region is 12.4m.
Undeterred by either French vacation habits or marauding hordes of tourists, Galerie Marc Maison has leaned into the spirit of the games and curated around 150 historical pieces that reflect a total of 30 sports disciplines.
One of a pair of vases showing marathon runners, 1937, by Karine Liéven, Manufacture de Sèvres, with Porcelaine de Sèvres inscription, €14,000.
Asked why he had made this move and how other dealers viewed this strategy, Maison told ATG: “The Puces is a village, everybody knows everybody, and we speak everyday. The other dealers are talking only about traffic issues and they don’t want to change their holiday plans. My point is different. If they are not going to be present, I encourage my colleagues to ‘at minimum’ hire a seller, to keep the shops open.”
One of the highlights of this show is a canvas by Ferdinand Joseph Gueldry (dated 1881). The painting is 6½ ft (2m) long and depicts the Régate à Joinville. It is being offered at €400,000 (£340,00).
In addition to being contrarily open, The Olympics Arts exhibition aims to be accessible to a wide audience, with prices ranging from €150 to €400,000. While researching the show, Marc Maison was struck by the way class and economics influenced leisure pursuits.
James Camille Lignier (1858-1926), At the Fencing Club, oil on canvas, 4ft 3in x 3ft 3in (1.3m x 99cm), presented at the 1887 Salon, €120,000.
He said: “There are a few sports that have disappeared, but we can also see a difference in the popularity of sports, compared to today.
“Fencing and rowing were once the most prevalent sports and the most represented in art. However, these are ‘rich people’s’ sports’, closely associated with artistic circles, due to commissions and clientele. Football and cycling are only seen through statuettes made of spelter, which is less valuable than bronze.
“These sports are very popular now but at the time, there were fewer resources for representing them artistically.”
Art and sport combined
An exhibition at the Louvre called Olympism: Modern Invention, Ancient Legacy traces Paris 2024 to classical Greece, where the Olympic Games were held for more than 1,000 years, from 776BC to 393AD.
It is a reminder that art and sport were once more entwined. The original Greek games were a celebration of physicality and intellect that featured theatre, song and performance.
Manufacture des Emaux de Longwy, bowl featuring a tennis player, 20th century, €780.
A young Herodotus, known later as ‘the Father of History’, gave a reading at Olympia. In a nod to this notable blueprint, the 1924 Paris Olympics featured a ‘Pentathlon of the Muses’, where music, painting, sculpture, literature and architecture were official contests. Thanks to Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the International Olympics Committee, the creative tournaments were no less eminent than the athletics and also provided medals and awards ceremonies.
Maison also discovered how some sports have evolved over time.
“Through art, it is possible to see techniques that have disappeared. The best example is the high jump trophy where a technique called ‘the scissors’ is depicted. It is completely obsolete today - we have been using the ‘Fosbury flop’ since the 1960s. Other examples are the boxing stance on statuettes, or the hand positions on sculptures of divers.”
Le Discophore (athlete holding a discus) after Naucydès, 2ft 10in x 5ft 10in x 19in (85cm x 1.77m x 47cm), €50,000.
Cutting edge event
Greek sculptor Konstantinos Dimitriadis was the gold medallist for sculpture in Paris 1924.
His 7ft bronze male nude titled Finnish discus thrower ended up in New York’s Central Park, outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1926. It was refurbished only this year, after nearly a century of neglect and is currently outside Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island.
While the artist, athlete and even the competitive category are now dead and buried, the work of Dimitriadis lives on and the art of sport endures.
The Olympic Arts is taking place at Galerie Marc Maison, 120, rue des Rosiers, 93400 Saint Ouen, Paris until September 18.
