Golden Eight’ Signed Michael Phelps Paintings Up For Sale Ahead Of Paris Olympics

A collection of eight signed paintings of Michael Phelps, the Olympian with the most medals of all time, is being offered for sale ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games.

The "Golden Eight" collection of oil paintings by acclaimed artist Brian Fox highlight the eight gold medals Phelps won in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and are each signed by the athlete. Phelps, considered the No. 1 athlete of the 21st century according to ESPN, has a total of 28 Olympic medals, 23 of them gold.

Fox is widely known for his paintings of celebrities and athletes, including the late Jackie Robinson, Steven Tyler, Muhammad Ali, Tom Brady, David Ortiz, Ichiro Suzuki, and NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt Jr., among others. Fox's art has been featured at star-studded celebrity auctions and charity benefits, including the MLB Players Trust, ALS Association, Jackie Robinson Foundation and more.

He was also chosen as the official commemorative artist for Major League Baseball’s All-Star Games, serving as the official artist for the World Series, and has been named a "Sports Artist of the Year" by the American Sports Art Museum. But despite a long career capturing elite athletes and historic moments in sports history, Fox said in a statement that the Golden Eight collection "was one of the most complex works of art I’ve ever had to capture on the canvas."

“With every stroke, my goal was to not only portray the energy and power of Phelps while he was swimming, but also shine his individual personality through his famed swimming expressions," Fox said.

“These paintings literally capture those emotions that I felt broadcasting it," said NBC swimming analyst Rowdy Gaines, a three-time Olympic gold medalist and member of both the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame and the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

"It’s the pitch of his hands when he’s swimming. If you take the photo with the backstroke, it’s literally perfect down to the movement of where his hands are placed," Gaines said. "You can sense the actual breath that he is taking and why. And in the butterfly photos, each muscle is defined perfectly. It’s literally like you can feel them. This is real life. This is what happens in the pool.”

As sports art continues to gain traction among both sports and art enthusiasts, Fox's paintings have seen a tenfold price increase in the past three years alone. The owner of the Golden Eight collection, Todd Patkin, is currently accepting offers for the full or partial collection with an asking price of $250,000 per painting. A third of the sale proceeds will go to charity.

“Fox not only captured the essence of Phelps in these paintings, but also captures his unforgettable legacy that will transcend through generations,” Patkin said. "These paintings are not just portraits; they serve as a powerful reminder of one of the greatest moments in our sporting history.”

In 2016, Phelps was the flag bearer for Team USA and is rumored to be the leading candidate to light the torch at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, just as Muhammad Ali did in Atlanta in 1996.

View this video here to see more of the "Golden Eight" collection. Fans looking for more information or hoping to inquire about acquiring these works of art can contact golden8@goldinsolutions.com

TMX contributed to this story.