Eight leading British contemporary artists—including Tracey Emin, Anne Hardy, Howard Hodgkin, Sarah Jones, Eddie Peake, Benjamin Senior, David Shrigley, and Sam Taylor-Johnson—have created the official limited edition prints for Team GB at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, which will start tomorrow.
Prints and posters have been commissioned for every edition of the Olympic Games since 1912, and the tradition has longtime provided a space for the rare encounter of art and sport.
The 2016 Team GB prints have been made by Counter Editions, the body behind the official prints for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the official prints for Team GB at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, and the Baku 2015 European Games.
Each artist has produced a unique image imbued with the spirit of British team and celebrating the rich culture and heritage of Rio and Brazil, and the prints range from abstract swatches of color to more literal interpretations of the brief.
The good news is that they can be yours if you like them. Individual prints have prices ranging from £475 for Taylor-Johnson’s Wanderer Above the Sea of Dreams to £2,000 for Shrigley’s Life Is Fantastic.
If you are feeling like splashing, however, you can buy the handsome box set containing all eight of them for £6,100.
See images of the official prints for Team GB at Rio 2016 below, and get in the mood for the big opening ceremony tomorrow!
Tracey Emin, True Love Always Wins (2016). ©Tracey Emin, courtesy of Counter Editions, London, and Team GB.
Benjamin Senior, Stroke Tempo (2016). ©Benjamin Senior, courtesy of Counter Editions, London and Team GB.
David Shrigley, Life Is Fantastic (2016). ©David Shrigley, courtesy of Counter Editions, London, and Team GB.
Eddie Peake, Sweat (2016). ©Eddie Peake, courtesy of Counter Editions, London, and Team GB.
Howard Hodgkin, The Road to Rio (2016). ©Howard Hodgkin, courtesy of Counter Editions, London and Team GB.
Sam Taylor-Johnson, Wanderer Above the Sea of Dreams (2016). ©Sam Taylor-Johnson, courtesy of Counter Editions, London, and Team GB.
Sarah Jones, Cabinet (Spiral) (2016). © Sarah Jones, courtesy of Counter Editions, London and Team GB.