When I was a gallerist, I tried my best to make art collecting more accessible to both the artist and the collector. I did this because I am very familiar with the all around good feeling of acquiring a work of art. Buying art from an artist you believe in is a boon to collectors and artists alike. Art collecting is often spoken about in terms of being an investment, although the discourse tends to overwhelmingly focus on art as a currency. However art’s emotional value is more consequential than its monetary worth. Anyone who has the pleasure of living with art can attest to this statement.
My modest art collection is a testament to the relationships I’ve built with artists, and the success I’ve experienced as an art historian, curator and gallery owner. Each work of art that I own has a tale to tell about a significant moment from my life. The paintings, prints and drawings on my walls are vessels for good vibes and profound memories.
Living with art can boost our mood and make us feel vigorous. I notice a difference in my physical performance when I’m viewing art versus when I’m not. I have two paintings that I look at while I’m doing chin ups. They’re large works, both by friends of mine, who I’ve also had the pleasure of showing in my gallery. When I look at these works of art, I find that I’m able to do more chin ups than I am when I’m not gazing upon them. This might be an anecdotal example, but it substantiates actual studies showing how art impacts our overall wellness.
In addition to filling my walls with art, I’ve been eagerly acquiring fitness equipment for my home gym. I don’t have the same criteria for collecting fitness gear that I do for art, but I will say that aesthetics plays a part. Feel is also obviously very important, but it’s more of a physical sensation than emotional.
When I think about the union of art and fitness, ancient Greek and Roman culture comes to mind. The Greeks and Romans adorned their pottery and frescoes with athletic scenes, and immortalized well known athletes through sculpture (see: “Gods, Glory and Gold: The Art of the Olympics”).
The ancient Greeks and Romans also incorporated weighted objects into their athletic training and competition. Ergonomic elliptical stone weights called halteres, are considered to be the precursor to both modern-day dumbbells and kettlebells. Their primary function was to provide extra propulsion in the long jump. They were also used for weightlifting purposes. Visual evidence of training with halteres is depicted on red-figured vases, while physicians Antyllus and Galen have described a few specific strength building movements using halteres, such as curls, deadlifts and lunges (see: Gardiner, 2019, p.311).
Ancient halteres were incredibly functional objects. Their current status as artifacts in museums gives them the distinction of an art object as well. Several art museums have actual fitness gear, as well as artwork inspired by fitness aesthetics in their collections. The following examples are the result of my scouring several online databases of art museums for works of art related to fitness culture.
Man Ray
Square Dumb Bells, c.1944-45
At first glance, it’s surreal to see such functional objects within Man Ray’s oeuvre, since he was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealist movements (but never an official member of either circle). Nevertheless, his dumbbells are the epitome of fitness design and modernist art.
I would love to curl these square dumbbells, and also display them on a pedestal in my home gym. Of course, being that these are the brainchild of Man Ray, an artist renowned for scrutinizing the function of quotidian life and common mass produced objects; these dumbbells are not for lifting. They exist solely as a work of art. Furthermore, they’re enshrined in the collection of the Smithsonian Museum of American Art. So they’re practically untouchable.
In addition to the dumbbell sculpture, I’ve selected a schematic drawing for a pair of plywood dumbbells, from the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMA). This straightforward graphite sketch reveals a more pragmatic side to Man Ray’s signature fantastical nature.
Tony Rosenthal
Barbell, n.d.
Even if he’s not a household name, every New Yorker should be familiar with the work of Tony Rosenthal. He’s the artist who created the famous Alamo sculpture, which is more commonly known as “The Cube” in Astor Place.
Alamo is beloved by the local community, who petitioned for it to be a permanent structure (it was initially commissioned for a six-month exhibition in 1967). Part of its charm is that it is interactive. It rotates around a hidden pole in its center, and part of the New York city experience includes spinning the cube.
For Barbell, which is located on the campus of the University of Miami, Rosenthal riffed on the design and concept of the barbell. Unlike Alamo, Barbell cannot easily be moved. It’s a gigantic fixed mass of steel, which very few people, aside from possibly two-time Canada's Strongest Man winner Gregg Ernst (who set a world record with a 5340 lb back lift), could hoist. However, Rosenthal did design Barbell with the intent that the viewers could interact with it. By flattening the barbell’s typically rounded shaft, he turned the sculpture into a fanciful bench for public use.
Sure you could sit on it, but if I ever end up encountering this artwork, I’d be inspired to interact with the sculpture in a more dynamic way. When I first saw a photograph of the sculpture, I immediately thought about utilizing its flat surface as a base for elevated and decline push ups (I like using a close grip for these, because it adds more tension) and Bulgarian split squats. That way, I’d be paying homage to both Rosenthal’s intent (to make an interactive artwork) and the fitness element that inspired this sculpture’s form.
Alexander Calder
Rigoulot, the Strong Man: Green felt, 1926–1931
Although it must have been well over twenty years ago, I remember the first time I encountered Calder’s work. It was perhaps one of the more fun and engaging pieces of art I’d experienced at that point in my life. The work of art I’m referring to is Cirque Calder, which is in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
Calder’s circus was created with a handful of common materials like wire, felt and found or “readymade” objects like mousetraps and wooden clothespins. When he was living and working in Paris, Calder used his scale model circus for improvised performances.
The artfully rendered performers in his circus include Charles Rigoulot, a renowned Olympian weightlifting champion, who also scored a major humanitarian victory for punching a Nazi officer in the face. I’ve written about Rigoulot’s feats of strength in the post “Is it OK to Punch a Nazi? A Tale of Three Olympians.”
Merryll Saylan
Barbells for Arnold, 1978
Arnold Schwarzenegger is by no means a perfect individual, but his physique is quite nearly impeccable (both during his bodybuilding heyday and as an approaching octogenarian).
The former professional bodybuilder and action movie star (I’m leaving out his more disastrous roles on purpose) has inspired countless gym rats to pump iron. He’s also inspired a fantastic wooden sculpture by Merryll Saylan.
While Schwarzenegger elevated bodybuilding in popular culture, Saylan has also been an innovator in her field of woodworking. She’s one of the earliest contemporary artists to utilize woodturning as a conceptual art form. Both were relishing in the fruits of their labor during the 1970s (Schwarzenegger started a string of Mr. Olympian victories, and Saylan began pushing the boundaries of woodworking).
Barbells for Arnold showcases Saylan’s precise handling and carving of wood. Of course, wood is not a common material used to construct contemporary barbells. But it’s clear that this sculpture is more of a flex of artistic prowess than a muscle building device.
Do you have an example of a work(s) of art that I didn’t mention, which fits the criteria? Please do feel inclined to share them in the comments!
References, Notes, Suggested Reading:
Gardiner, Edward Norman. 2019. The Project Gutenberg EBook of Greek Athletic Sports And Festivals. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/59952/59952-h/59952-h.htm#Page_310
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Oscar Wilde said that all art is quite useless, and I often say that if it's functional then it's not art. so of course Man Ray's dumb bells are not useable.
Great stuff!