Around the 1900 Olympic Games: sport and ideal

The second half of the 19^th century saw the emergence of a culture of sport, largely initiated in England and underpinned by moral objectives: “a healthy mind in a healthy body”. The modern Games, as they were conceived by their reviver Pierre de Coubertin, also contributed to the objective of national regeneration through competition, and a “physical renaissance” following France’s defeat in the War of 1870.

The classical body and the Greek ideal are models to be found in the arts, including in the many depictions of Hercules, the Olympic Games’ mythical founder.

A preserve of the elites and initially only concerning men, the culture of sport democratized at the turn of the century and women appropriated it. On either side of Maurice Denis’ monumental canvas Jeu de Volant (Battledore and Shuttlecock – 1900), works from our collections will be highlighting this newfound enthusiasm: it was in 1900 that a few women were first invited to take part in the Olympic Games.