Art of the Game offers comprehensive perspectives from artists around the world, examining both the experience of playing and the phenomenon of spectatorship. Visitors are invited to explore the history of the world’s most universal game and its deeply rooted connections to cultures across continents, each interpreting the sport in distinct ways.
The exhibition spans centuries, with works referencing one of the earliest documented forms of the sport, known as cuju. Themes of identity are illustrated, as artists explore ideas of femininity and masculinity, consumerism, colonialism, documentation, cultural deconstruction, pivotal historical moments in soccer, and the legendary players that continue to inspire generations.
“Not only do we get to see the diverse ways identity and soccer are woven together, but we also discover the breadth of subject matter the sport inspires, represented in Art of the Game by artists from around the world,” says Assistant Director of Exhibitions Natalie Neale. “There is something profoundly captivating about how this universal sport transcends cultures, identities, and even time. Soccer is not bound to one type of person, but instead serves as a unifying force around the globe.”
The exhibit features 38 works from a variety of mediums, including painting, photography, sculpture, and installation, by nearly 20 artists around the world. Art of the Game features artists such as Andy Warhol, Kehinde Wiley, Hank Willis Thomas, Peter Phillips, George Afedzi Hughes, Darío Escobar, Juno Calypso, Felipe Barbosa, with selected works from the National Football Museum Collection.