Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Olympic Medals for Art

Between 1912 and 1952, the Olympic committee gave out medals for art as well as sporting events.


The tradition dates back to the founder of the modern games, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, "who saw art competitions as integral to his vision of the Olympics."

Read more on Wikipedia: "Art competitions at the Olympic Games"
Smithsonian: "When the Olympics Gave Out Medals for Art"
Thanks, J.Z. Torre
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3 comments:

  1. AndrewAugust 1, 2012 at 9:54 PM

    Lee Blair, Mary Blair's husband and Preston Blair's brother, competed in the 1932 Los Angeles Summer Olympics and won a gold in the painting category for a watercolor he did.

    Finding out who his relations were just about blew my mind.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Keith ParkerAugust 1, 2012 at 11:14 PM

    So why was this stopped after the early fifties?

    ReplyDelete
  3. AndrewAugust 1, 2012 at 11:18 PM

    Keith -

    From what I've gathered, they stopped doing them because the artists were considered professionals, at a time when Olympic athletes were supposed to be amateurs. It eventually became a Cultural Olympiad that showcases cultural and artistic practice.

    ReplyDelete

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