Paris 2024 unveils artistic posters as vibrant Cultural Olympiad programme revealed

On the occasion of the Olympic Games, each Organising Committee, in collaboration with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), invites artists to take part in an Artistic Poster programme, complementing the official poster of the Games and giving artists a unique, creative opportunity to be involved in building the collective memory of the Games.

During a launch event that took place on the banks of the River Seine and coincided with the build-up to the 2023 edition of the Paris arts festival, Nuit Blanche, 14 posters, created by eight artists, were revealed to the public. For the first time, each artist or artistic pair was tasked with creating two posters: one representing the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and one representing the Paralympic Games Paris 2024.

The posters will be exhibited for one month before travelling throughout France from September. This has been made possible by Terre de Jeux 2024, an initiative aimed at local authorities and members of the French sports movement that want to promote the Games and the practice of sport in the country. The programme is helping to ensure that France as a whole feels part of the Paris 2024 adventure, in line with the official slogan of “Games wide open”.

Meet the artists

For the Paris 2024 Cultural Olympiad, five artists were selected by a jury composed of representatives from the IOC, the Paris 2024 Organising Committee, the French Ministry of Culture, the City of Paris and accomplished personalities from the arts world, after taking part in a competition for a place on the programme. Additional competitions were also launched to celebrate the centenary of the Olympic Games Paris 1924, the introduction of breaking as a new Olympic discipline for 2024, and the hosting of the Paralympic Summer Games in France for the first time.

The selected artists whose posters have been unveiled are:

• Adam Janes, an American painter and sculptor

• Clotilde Jiménez, an American multidisciplinary artist

• Gilles Elie, a French painter

• Elsa and Johanna, a duo of French photographers

• Pierre Seinturier, a French cartoonist

• Fanny Michaëlis, a French designer and illustrator

• Stéphanie Lacombe, a French photographer

Nationwide programme of Cultural Olympiad activities

The Cultural Olympiad is a one-of-a-kind programme that explores the connection and values shared between the arts and sport, and has been held alongside each edition of the Olympic Games since Barcelona 1992. For Paris 2024, it is an opportunity to build the cultural identity of the Games and showcase the energy, talent and rich heritage of France through several thousand events and performances in every artform, which will be staged across the country from now until the Paralympic Closing Ceremony on 8 September 2024.

Led by the Paris 2024 Culture Department, the Cultural Olympiad is a collective project built in close collaboration with culture and sport stakeholders throughout France. More than 500 Terre de Jeux 2024 entities are involved in the Cultural Olympiad, plus a vast cultural network alongside the Olympic and Paralympic sports movements.

Along with a concert and the unveiling of the 14 posters on 1 June, dates were announced for nationwide Cultural Olympiad activities in 2023:

• Summer of the Cultural Olympiad: 1 June to 15 September 2023

• European Heritage Days: 16 and 17 September 2023

• Autumn of the Cultural Olympiad: 21 September to 21 December 2023

“Today, we are happy to reveal the major events of the Cultural Olympiad, which will be exciting milestones as we approach the Games,” said Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet. “Thanks to the commitment of all those involved and, of course, personalities from the worlds of sport and culture, the Cultural Olympiad has come to life, and its projects will reach an increasing number of people.”

To strengthen the reach of these events, and those to come in 2024, a new dedicated website has been launched, where the public can find details of the entire Cultural Olympiad programming schedule. An interactive map and system of filters allows users to select events of their choice based on proximity and their own preferences.

For more information, visit: paris2024.org/en/cultural-olympiad