Nathalie Lees x Wimbledon 2026
Dream project may be a slightly over used phrase around these parts, but for tennis enthusiast Nathalie Lees the opportunity to illustrate the official poster for the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s Wimbledon Championship 2026 really was such a gig.
Growing up in London and playing tennis since she was a kid Nathalie has long been a fan of the tournament:
“My connection to Wimbledon goes back to 1992, when I first visited as a child and watched Andre Agassi play Goran Ivanisevic in the gentlemen’s singles final on Centre Court. Contributing to Wimbledon’s visual history through this poster has been one of the great privileges of my career.”
Focussing on the distinctive atmosphere of the the only grass grand slam tournament was key for Nathalie:
“Wimbledon is full of iconic elements to draw from – the grass courts, the extraordinary horticulture, and the long shadows cast by the golden evening sun – but one of the most important aspects is the people who visit during those two weeks. In order to capture the unique atmosphere of the greatest Grand Slam, my goal was to try to emulate the buzz of the crowds“
Nathalie explored many iterations to get to the final artwork with the client drawn to the composition that highlighted the draw of centre court and the excitement of the crowds around the grounds.
The final artwork adorned posters and hoardings around the ground, tickets and brochures and was available to purchase as a limited edition silkscreen print as well the regular poster.
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Beyond the main tournament poster Nathalie also created an artwork for the Wimbledon Qualifiers which takes place in the weeks before the main competition kicks off and looked resplendent at the Roehampton grounds.
Huge thanks to Phoebe Hazzan at VCCP and Ali Auger for their support and direction throughout the process.
See more work in Nathalie’s fantastic portfolio.
Photography credits: AELTC & Felix Diemer, Charlie Raymond Kent, Gary Oakley, Andrew Baker, David Cliff.