Leo Obstbaum (October 26, 1969 – August 21, 2009) was an

Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...

-born

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

design director for the

2010 Winter Olympics The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Vancouver 2010 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with ...

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, Canada, as part of the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC). Obstbaum was responsible for designing many of the main symbols of the Vancouver Olympic Games including the Olympic and Paralympic medals, the design of the 2010

Olympic torch The Olympic flame is a Olympic symbols, symbol used in the Olympic movement. It is also a symbol of continuity between ancient and modern games. The Olympic flame is lit at Olympia, Greece, several months before the Olympic Games. This ceremony s ...

, and the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games mascots. Obstbaum was born in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, in 1969. He moved to

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

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, with his family when he was a child. Obstbaum opened his first

visual communication Visual communication is the use of visual elements to convey ideas and information which include (but are not limited to) signs, typography, drawing, graphic design, illustration, industrial design, advertising, animation, and electronic resourc ...

studio in 1990. He designed the

wardrobe A wardrobe, also called armoire or almirah, is a standing closet used for storing clothes. The earliest wardrobe was a chest, and it was not until some degree of luxury was attained in regal palaces and the castles of powerful nobles that sep ...

for the celebration of the anniversary of the

1992 Barcelona Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

. Obstbaum visited Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on his honeymoon and reportedly "fell in love" with the city. He moved to Vancouver from Spain in late 2005. Obstbaum was hired by the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) in June 2006 as the director of

design A design is the concept or proposal for an object, process, or system. The word ''design'' refers to something that is or has been intentionally created by a thinking agent, and is sometimes used to refer to the inherent nature of something ...

for the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics. He oversaw the design and creation of many of the most important symbols of the 2010 Olympics, including the 2010 Olympics mascots, the Olympic torch and the medals which were awarded to the athletes. Leo Obstbaum died unexpectedly on August 21, 2009, at the age of 39. He was survived by his wife and daughter. The

VANOC The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) () was the non-profit organization responsible for planning, organizing, financing and staging the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics. Esta ...

released a statement noting Obstbaum's contributions to the Vancounver Olympics, ''"Obstbaum's design leadership and influence are evident throughout VANOC's visual identity, including such iconic elements as the mascots, the Look of the Games, the torch designs, and Olympic and Paralympic medals (yet to be unveiled)."'' Likewise, an internal message sent to members of the VANOC its

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

John Furlong read, ''"Leo is everywhere you look, in every colour, every

texture Texture may refer to: Science and technology * Image texture, the spatial arrangement of color or intensities in an image * Surface texture, the smoothness, roughness, or bumpiness of the surface of an object * Texture (roads), road surface c ...

, in every little bit of Vancouver 2010...Leo led and influenced the design of some of the most iconic pieces of the 2010 Winter Games. His spirit and daring inspiration has touched absolutely everything and because of him memories of the Games will live on for generations, a true enduring legacy of what went on here in Vancouver."''

References

External links

Vancouver Winter Games official interview with Leo Obstbaum

Leo Obstbaum Studio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obstbaum, Leo 1969 births 2009 deaths 2010 Winter Olympics Argentine emigrants to Spain Canadian graphic designers People from Barcelona Designers from Buenos Aires Artists from Vancouver Spanish designers