Paris Olympics in 1924 inspires new Cambridge exhibition

An exhibition inspired by the Paris Olympic Games in 1924 will reveal how international artists engaged with the themes of the sporting body a century ago.

The event was the first truly international games, according to curators.

A letter sent by American long jumper William DeHart Hubbard, the first black athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in an individual event, is among rare loans on display.

The exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge has been timed to open a week before the Paris 2024 Games begin.

It also features works from leading modernist artists such as Pablo Picasso, Diego Rivera, Natalia Goncharova and Umberto Boccioni.

Their works are shown alongside classical sculpture, as well as posters, fashion and photography from the “Roaring Twenties” – a decade that saw dramatic economic and social change.

The 1924 Games was the first to broadcast radio commentaries and advances in training, clothing and equipment helped athletes break new records.

Olympians also became celebrities in their own right. Swimming superstar Johnny Weissmuller became a Hollywood star after winning gold, and American tennis player Helen Wills became the first woman athlete to become a global celebrity.

The exhibition will also feature a less well-known part of Olympic history – the art competitions incorporated in the Games between 1912 and 1948.

Paris 1924: Sport, Art and the Body runs until 3 November.