Own a slice of London 2012 history

One year on, new exhibition and book bring back memories of Olympic and Paralympic summer

With exciting sporting and cultural events planned to mark the first anniversary of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, members of the public are being offered the opportunity to own a unique memento of last year's incredible summer.

Renowned artist and illustrator Nicholas Garland OBE has captured the colour and spirit of the Games in a series of evocative pictures being exhibited at City Hall and due to be published in a new book.

Highly regarded as a political cartoonist, Garland - who has contributed to leading publications, including the Daily Telegraph, New Statesman, the Spectator and the Independent – was commissioned by the Mayor of London to become artist in residence at the Games.

The artist spent the summer documenting the sporting action, crowds and cultural highlights, from the Opening to the Closing Ceremonies, creating a pictorial record, which will become a lasting legacy of the Games to be enjoyed by future generations.

Working in gouache, watercolour, ink and woodcut, Garland captures the spirit of last year's events, vividly depicting the athletes, the Olympic Park and the venues, as well as the mood of the crowds and the spirit of the volunteers.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “Throughout the golden summer of 2012, Nicholas Garland was in the crowd, watching the sport and watching the people watching the sport. It was a time of thrilling athletic achievement action, when British athletes performed more magnificently than ever before. He wanted to capture the mood, the action, the pathos, the little vignettes, using his painting and drawing to interpret those scenes in a way that no photograph could.

“He was the 'war artist' of the biggest peacetime operation any city can be asked to put on and he has risen to the challenge spectacularly well. A look at his pictures and it all comes flooding back.”

During his residency, the artist produced a collection of over 200 sketches, 30 paintings and eight woodcut prints. Sporting venues and events documented include the Olympic Stadium, velodrome, aquatics centre, athletics, boxing, gymnastics, rowing, cycling road race, torch relay and the medals ceremonies.

Cultural locations include the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the ArcelorMittal Orbit, Tower Bridge and the Olympic Rings.

Nicholas Garland commented: “The trick is not to draw but to look – to capture the snapshot in your mind's eye before it fades. I did scores of drawings in this way, sometimes also taking photographs of backgrounds or settings to have those references to hand. My subject became London and its patient, tolerant, good-humoured, independent people.

“Towards the end of the Games, I was in the Park one afternoon. It was hot and overcrowded as usual. I was tired, but still due to attend that evening's events. To my surprise, I began to feel quite sad. I texted my wife, ‘I'm going to miss this’.”

The pictures are available for sale to collectors and the wider public and will be published in a special book, Drawing the Games: A Story of London 2012, which was commissioned by the Mayor of London and is being published to coincide with the first anniversary of the opening weekend of the Games.

Money from sale of artworks and book will go to The Legacy List, which was set up in 2011 to support the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games.

Sarah Weir, CEO The Legacy List commented: “These works document a monumental and extraordinary time in British history, one that will never be repeated in our lifetime. They form a fitting memento of the Olympics and we are delighted that money raised from these works will benefit The Legacy List – the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Charity. It is our job to keep the energy of 2012 alive for future generations to enjoy and prosper from and generous donations like these help us make huge strides towards that goal.”

The exhibition runs from 1-31 July at City Hall, The Queen's Walk, London SE1 2AA. It is free to attend during opening hours (visitor information can be found at www.london.gov.uk/city-hall).

The accompanying book, Drawing the Games: A Story of London 2012, is due to be published at the end of the month.

ENDS