John Baldessari Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games Poster

Artist: John Baldessari (American, 1931–2020)
Event: 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games
Publisher: Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee (LAOOC)
Publisher Text: Published by Knapp Communications Corporation
Technique: Official vintage color offset lithograph art poster on premium Parson's Diploma paper
Dimensions: 61x91.4 cm
Status: Excellent vintage condition, unframed
 
This highly important John Baldessari Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games Poster is an official fine art commission produced for the Games of the XXIII Olympiad. Baldessari utilizes his signature conceptual style of appropriated imagery and visual juxtaposition. The composition is divided horizontally into two distinct photographic zones: the upper section shows the realistic, textured legs of runners competing on a stadium track, while the lower section presents a stylized, high-contrast graphic representation of abstract running legs in motion against a warm coral background. The lower border features the official "Stars in Motion" 1984 Olympic logo and clean typography detailing the artist and publisher.
 
About the Artist:
John Baldessari was a pioneering American conceptual artist renowned for his innovative work incorporating found photography, appropriated images, and text. Based in California, Baldessari challenged traditional artistic boundaries by exploring the narrative potential of images and the associative power of language across printmaking, film, and installation art. For the 1984 Los Angeles Games, the Olympic Committee commissioned 16 prominent contemporary artists to design official posters, allowing Baldessari to cement his unique graphic vision within international sports history.