Who says art and sports don’t mix? Parisian streetwear brand Pigalle teamed up with creative agency Ill-Studio to build a spectacular and colorful basketball court inspired by avant-garde painter Kazimir Malevich.

Nestled between two apartment buildings in Paris’ 9th arrondissement, the court was first launched in 2009 by Pigalle founder Stephane Ashpool. Now, the court has undergone renovation to host the presentation of Pigalle Basketball’s spring/summer 2015 collection.

“Stephane Ashpool, the founder and designer of Pigalle, has been playing on this court and training kids there for several years now,” Ill-Studio told DeZeen. “We first updated the design in 2014 as a collaboration with Stephane for the launch of the Pigalle Basketball store that is located just in front of the court.”

The brightly colored court is contrasted against the urban landscape.
Photo: DeZeen

Ill-Studio said that the design was inspired by Malevich’s painting Sportsmen (1930-31), which depicts four standing figures.

“Sportsmen is one of our favorite paintings of all time,” the studio said. “We were attracted to the subjects of the paintings, but also strong colors and graphic composition that matched the direction we had in mind.”

The court was inspired by Kazimir Malevich’s Sportsmen (1931-32)
Photo: encyclopediaofukraine.com

The outdoor court is made of a composite rubber floor featuring blue, white, red and yellow panels. Lower parts of the surrounding walls have been plastered and painted to match the court’s flooring. The upper parts have been left untouched to create a unique and vibrant contrast within the urban landscape.

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