Study for the Munich Olympic Games Poster

1971

American, 1917 - 2000

Jacob Lawrence was one of several artists commissioned to design a print and poster for the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany. He chose to commemorate the achievements of Black athletes, particularly in track, where legends such as Jesse Owens consistently made history. Focusing on the curving lanes of the track and the runners’ confident strides, he captures the skill and discipline that make these competitors so inspiring.

Gouache on paper

35 1/2 x 27 in. (90.17 x 68.58 cm)

PONCHO

79.31

Provenance: Terry Dintenfass, Inc., New York, New York; Mr. and Mrs. Joseph M. Erdelac, Cleveland, Ohio; Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle; purchased by SAM with funds from PONCHO

Photo: Scott Leen

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistoryUtica, New York, Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, The Olympics in Art: An Exhibition of Art Related to Olympic Sports, Jan.13 - March 21, 1980, no. 81, Santa Monica 1982, Seattle, 1986-87, no. 122.

Seattle, Washington, Jacob Lawrence Gallery, University of Washington, Jacob Lawrence Paintings 1971-1984, Oct. 19 - Dec. 6, 1994.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Views and Visions in the Pacific Northwest, June 7, 1990 - Sept. 2, 1990.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Collection Highlights: 1945 To The Present, Sept. 12, 1996 - June 1, 1997.

Seattle, Washington, Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Jacob Lawrence: Painting Life, July 2 - Sept. 27, 1998.

Washington, D.C., The Phillip’s Collection, Over the Line: The Art and Life of Jacob Lawrence, May 27 - Aug. 19, 2001 (New York, New York, Whitney Museum of American Art, Nov. 8 - Feb. 3, 2002; Detroit, Michigan, The Detroit Institute of arts, Feb. 24 - May 19, 2002; Los Angeles, California, June 16 - Sept. 8, 2002; Houston, Texas, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Oct. 5, 2002 - Jan. 5, 2003; Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Feb. 6 - May 4, 2003). Text by Peter T. Nesbett and Michelle DuBois. No cat. no., pp. 261-262, 332, reproduced fig. 133 [listed as Munich Olympic Games].

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Forget Me Not: Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence and Jacob Lawrence, May 5, 2007 - Sept. 9, 2007.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Black Art, Mar. 25, 2008 - Nov. 9, 2008.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Jacob Lawrence: American Storyteller, June 28, 2024 - January 5, 2025.

Published ReferencesHills, Patricia. Painting Harlem Modern: The Art of Jacob Lawrence. University of California Press, 2009, pg. 269, fig. 204.

Denvir, Bernard. "London Letter." Art International 16, no. 5 (May 20, 1972), p. 42.

Trovato, Joseph S. The Olympics In Art: An Exhibition of Art Related to Olympic Sports exh. cat. (Utica, N.Y.: Museum of Art, Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, 1980), p. 38, ill. L

Louis, Louis. Ten Seconds. Saint Paul: Graywolf Press, 1991, cvr., ill.; Powell 1992, pl. 12.

Wills, Gary. "The Real Thing." New York Review of Books 41, 14, (August 11, 1994), p. 6 ill.

Stabile, Tom, "Reconstructing Jacob Lawrence: A Scholarly Team Prepares the Master Catalog," Humanities 19, no. 6 (November - December 1998), p. 28, ill.

Carroll, Colleen. How Artists See Play. New York: Abbeville Press, 2020; p. 6, reproduced.

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