ABSTRACT
The sport of soccer has long been celebrated as ‘the beautiful game’ to reference its artistry and aesthetic appeal. This visual quality includes the fine arts, with the world’s most popular sport recurring as a subject in art since the nineteenth century. More recently, contemporary artists utilize the game’s iconographic potential to contest the identities projected through soccer, including those of inheritance and citizenry. This essay considers visual representations of soccer and their relationship to nationhood, focusing on England and Germany due to their historical significance and popularity as subjects. While some depict their country’s supremacy on the pitch or primacy as custodians of the sport, others examine the embedment of soccer within the character and rituals of their compatriots. Across diverse mediums, artists portray the socialization of fans, place of collective memory in commemorating footballing success, and cultural traditions usurped and reinforced by soccer. Immigration and globalization often disrupt these narratives, complicating the local character or cultural specificity projected onto soccer. Ultimately, by deconstructing the national assumptions built into soccer and its legacy, today’s artists illustrate the complexities of identity and role of the sport in its formulation.
