World's greatest sportsmen await Halesowen and Sandwell visitors to Brum (From Halesowen News)

World's greatest sportsmen await Halesowen and Sandwell visitors to Brum

1:00pm Sunday 22nd July 2012 in News

VISITORS from Halesowen and Sandwell into Birmingham are now being greeted by some of the greatest sportsmen and women ever to have lived.

A new exhibition on the streets around Snow Hill station in the Colmore Business District is displaying 70 images by 40 world renowned documentary photographers.

The exhibition entitled Magnum Sport: Icons and the Everyday will be in place until September and features images of former Olympic champions such as Mohammed Ali, international sporting icons such as cyclist, Lance Armstrong and images of sporting activity from everyday life.

The exhibition has been organised by a number of private and public sector partners and is presented through the collaborative efforts of Colmore Business District, the Library of Birmingham, Magnum Photos and Birmingham City Council .

The 70 images, including work by Eve Arnold, Werner Bischof, Martine Franck, Thomas Hoepker, Susan Meiselas, David Seymour, Martin Parr, George Rodger, W Eugene Smith and Alex Webb is presented in exhibitions at two central locations within Birmingham’s Colmore Business District.

The exhibitions in Colmore Square and the recently developed Church Street Square aim to capture the imaginations of passersby and demonstrate sport is a universal language which knows no boarders and bridges social, religious, cultural and gender divides.

Pete James, Head of Photographs at the Library of Birmingham said: “The inspiration of athletics and sport in art can be seen in the work of the ancient Greek masters of sculpture through to the split-second images of the modern day sports photographer.

"In addition to presenting images of elite and professional the athletes, this exhibition of stunning images by Magnum Photos' internationally acclaimed photographers also reveals candid shots of sport in a variety of everyday settings. Together these images tell us much about the central place which sport now occupies in modern life.”

Fiona Rogers, Cultural and Education Manager at Magnum Photo said: “Magnum Photos are delighted to once again be working in Birmingham to showcase such a diverse selection of archival photographs in celebration of British sporting events in 2012.

The exhibition is the first time these images have been brought together in a single presentation, and highlights both the inspiration of the celebrity sporting professional and the impact that sports has on our everyday lives.”

“Magnum Sport: Icons and the Everyday is a fantastic opportunity for some of the world’s leading sporting photographers to share their masterpieces with the people of Birmingham and those who travel through the city on a daily basis.

"We’re incredibly proud to be asked to be involved in the project and to be working with the Library of Birmingham and Colmore Business District.”

For more information about Magnum Sport: Icons and the Everyday, please visit www.magnumsportbirmingham.co.uk .