American artist Alison Saar will create Paris 2024 Olympic sculpture

The International Olympic Committee and the City of Paris announced today that American artist Alison Saar has been chosen to create the artwork that will honor the legacy of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Olympic sculpture is an initiative of the Olympic Art Visions project, through which the IOC commissions an artist from the future host city of the Olympics to create a work inspired by Olympic sports and values. This will be presented in Paris in 2024. The program aims to create connections between host cities through an international art community that symbolically “passes the baton” through editions of the Games. This was also the case in Tokyo, when the IOC commissioned a French artist to commemorate the 2020 Games: Xavier Veilhan’s work, The Audience (2021), is permanently installed in the Japanese capital. To strengthen the link with the upcoming Olympic Games (Los Angeles 2028), American artist Alison Saar was chosen for Paris 2024 from a shortlist of outstanding American artists. An advisory committee composed of IOC representatives, City of Paris officials, the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee, and members of the international art community unanimously selected Saar, a decision confirmed by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and IOC President Thomas Bach. In the spirit of Paris 2024, his sculpture will focus on themes of diversity andequality as well as the Olympic principle to promote a culture of peace and solidarity among peoples. The work will be produced in France under the supervision of Saar.

The Olympic Museum is the international arts and culture division of the IOC and houses the largest and most comprehensive collection of Olympic heritage. Located in the Olympic Capital, the city of Lausanne in Switzerland, its international exhibitions and programs connect people of all ages with the diverse stories, art, history and culture of the global phenomenon that is the Olympic Games.

Born and raised in a family of artists, Alison Saar, class of 1956, has primarily made sculptures for much of her career. Her many creations address themes of equity and sharing, highlighting individuals often overlooked and marginalized throughout history and in current times. Many of Saar’s works have been exhibited in major museums and art venues in the United States, such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and the Brooklyn Art Museum. Among her most appreciated works is the first public monument to a black woman, Harriet Tubman, in New York City. The Olympic sculpture will be her first public project outside the United States.

“I am deeply honored to have been chosen to create the Olympic sculpture,” said Saar “My hope is that this work of art, a gift to the people and the city of Paris, will become a gathering space for the public to experience the spirit of friendship and interconnectedness across cultures and borders.”

“By using French artisans, we not only reduce our costs and carbon footprint, but also support local talent and suppliers,” the artist said stated.

Pictured: Alison Saar. Photo: Tom Leeser

American artist Alison Saar will create Paris 2024 Olympic sculpture

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