Art competitions at the 1912 Summer Olympics
Art competitions were held as part of the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. It was the first time that art competitions were part of the Olympic program. Medals were awarded in five categories (architecture, literature, music, painting, and sculpture), for works inspired by sport-related themes.[1]
Art competitions were part of the Olympic program from 1912 to 1948, but were discontinued due to concerns about amateurism and professionalism. Since 1952, a non-competitive art and cultural festival has been associated with each Games.[2]
Medal summary
| Category | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | .svg.png){kind=small} Eugène-Edouard Monod and Alphonse Laverrière (SUI)Building plan of a modern stadium |
none awarded | none awarded |
| Literature | .svg.png){kind=small} Georges Hohrod & Martin Eschbath (GER)[a]"Ode to Sport" |
none awarded | none awarded |
| Music | .svg.png){kind=small} Riccardo Barthelemy (ITA)"Olympic Triumphal March" |
none awarded | none awarded |
| Painting | Carlo Pellegrini (ITA) Three connected friezes representing "Winter Sports" |
none awarded | none awarded |
| Sculpture | .svg.png){kind=small} Walter Winans (USA)Bronze statuette "An American trotter" |
 Georges Dubois (FRA)Model of the entrance to a modern stadium |
none awarded |
Medal table
In 1952, art competition medals were removed from the official national medal counts.[6] However, at least since June 2021, the art competitions medals are again taken into account by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in the medal tables for the relevant Olympics.[7]
| Rank | NOC | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italy | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | Germany | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
.svg.png){kind=small} Switzerland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| United States | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 5 | France | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals (5 entries) | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6 | |
Events summary
Architecture
The following architects took part:[8]
| Rank | Name | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alphonse Laverrière, Eugène-Édouard Monod | Switzerland
|
| AC | A. Laffen | Unknown |
| AC | André Collin | France
|
| AC | Frantz Jourdain | France
|
| AC | Fritz Eccard | Unknown |
| AC | Guillaume Fatio | Switzerland
|
| AC | Jacob Rees | .svg.png){kind=small} Great Britain
|
| AC | Julius Skarba-Wallraf | Germany
|
| AC | Konrad Hippenmeier | Switzerland
|
Literature
The following writers took part:[3]
| Rank | Name | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georges Hohrod & Martin Eschbach[a] | Germany
|
| AC | Gabriele D'Annunzio | Italy
|
| AC | Marcel Boulenger | France
|
| AC | Maurice Pottecher | France
|
| AC | Gabriel Letainturier-Fradin | France
|
| AC | Paul Adam | France
|
Music
The following composers took part:[9]
| Rank | Name | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riccardo Barthelemy | Italy
|
| AC | Ethel Barnard | Great Britain
|
| AC | Gustave Doret | Switzerland
|
| AC | Max d'Ollone | France
|
| AC | Émile Jaques-Dalcroze | France
|
Painting
The following painters took part:[10]
| Rank | Name | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlo Pellegrini | Italy
|
| AC | Ernest Townsend | Great Britain
|
| AC | Ferdinand Gueldry | France
|
| AC | Jean François Raffaëlli | France
|
Sculpture
The following sculptors took part:[11]
| Rank | Name | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walter Winans | United States
|
| 2 | Georges Dubois | France
|
| AC | Otakar Španiel | .svg.png){kind=small} Bohemia
|
| AC | Tait McKenzie | .svg.png){kind=small} Canada
|
| AC | Rembrandt Bugatti | Italy
|
| AC | Victor Segoffin | France
|
| AC | Paolo, Prince Trubetskoy | .svg.png){kind=small} Russia
|
| AC | Antoni Wiwulski |  Congress Poland
|
Notes
- ^ a b Pierre de Coubertin's entry was submitted by the pseudonym of "Georges Hohrod" and "Martin Eschbach" from Germany, even though he is French. Despite the subsequent resolving of his identity, the medal is officially still awarded and attributed to Germany, according to the pseudonym and the country under which the work was submitted.[3][4][5]
References
- ^ "Art Competitions at the 1912 Summer Olympics". Olympedia. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ "Kurt Kohlstedt: Pentathlon of the Muses". 99% Invisible. December 21, 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
- ^ a b "Olympedia – Literature, Open 1912". Olympedia. 2023. Archived from the original on 31 May 2025. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
- ^ "Germany - NOC Profile". olympics.com. International Olympic Committee (IOC). 2024. Archived from the original on 6 October 2024. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
- ^ "France - NOC Profile". olympics.com. International Olympic Committee (IOC). 2024. Archived from the original on 6 October 2024. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
- ^ McGillivray, Mary (2024-07-31). "ABC TV's The Art Of explores the surprising history of art competitions at the Olympics". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-08-05.
- ^ "Stockholm 1912 Olympic Medal Table – Gold, Silver & Bronze". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 19 January 2025. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
- ^ "Art Competitions at the 1912 Summer Olympics: Architecture, Open". Olympedia. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ "Art Competitions at the 1912 Summer Olympics: Music, Open". Olympedia. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ "Art Competitions at the 1912 Summer Olympics: Painting, Open". Olympedia. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ "Art Competitions at the 1912 Summer Olympics: Sculpturing, Open". Olympedia. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
Sources
- Bergvall, Erik, ed. (December 1913). The Olympic Games of Stockholm 1912 Official Report (PDF). Stockholm: Wahlström and Widstrand. pp. 806–811. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
- Wagner, Juergen. "Olympic Art Competition 1912". Olympic Games Museum. Archived from the original on 17 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
- Kramer, Bernhard (May 2004). "In Search of the Lost Champions of the Olympic Art Contests" (PDF). Journal of Olympic History. 12 (2): 29–34. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
- "Stockholm 1912: Did you know?". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 8 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-25.