Art Competitions

Art contests were held at the Olympics of 1912, 1920, 1924, 1928, 1932, 1936,1948 and 1952. The winners of the competitions were awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals, similar to the winners of the athletic competitions. The events were inspired by Pierre de Coubertin, who wished to combine the competitions in sports with competitions in the arts.

The art competitions were dropped from the Olympic Programme because most of the artists were professionals, which the International Olympic Committee (IOC) opposed. Competitions were held in Architecture (Architectural Designs, Designs for Town Planning, Further Entries), Literature (Dramatic Works, Epic Works, Lyric Works), Music (Compositions for Orchestra, Compositions for Solo or Chorus, Instrumental and Chamber, Vocals), Painting (Applied Arts, Drawings and Water Colors, Graphic Arts, Paintings), and Sculpturing (Medals, Medals and Plaques, Medals and Reliefs, Reliefs, Statues).

Two artists won three medals in the art competitions – Alex Walter Diggelmann of Switzerland (all in Applied Arts) and Josef Petersen of Denmark (one in Epic Works and two in the open Literature contest). Jean Jacoby of Luxembourg was the only artist to win two gold medals in the arts competitions: one in Drawings and Water-Colors and one in the open Painting competition. In 1912, Coubertin won a gold medal in the Literature category. Coubertin’s gold medal was for his work entitled “Ode to Sport”, which he entered under the dual pseudonym of Georges Hohrod and Martin Eschbach.

Two arts medalists also won medals in sports at the Olympic Games: Alfréd Hajós of Hungary won two swimming gold medals in 1896, and a silver medal for the design of a stadium at the 1924 Architecture contest; and Walter Winans won running target shooting medals in 1908 and 1912, and also won an arts gold medal in sculpture in 1912.