Gallic blue blood and educationist Pierre de Frédy , Baron de Coubertin ( seated , at odd ) was the man primarily creditworthy for repair the ancient Olympic Games . As the father of the International Olympic Committee , Coubertin spearhead the provision efforts for the 1896 Athens Games and guided the Olympic movement until he retire as IOC chairperson in 1925 .
Coubertin ’s vision for the mod Olympics was only part realized with the Athens Games . In the ensuing years , he devoted himself to reestablishing art competitions — a staple of the Games in ancient Greece — as part of the quadrennial Olympiad . Coubertin feel powerfully that graphics was as much a part of the Olympic nonpareil as athletic competition . As documented in Richard Stanton ’s thoroughly researched book on the bailiwick , The Forgotten Olympic Art Competitions , Coubertin once wrote : “ deprive of the atmosphere of the art contests , Olympic games are only humans championships . ”
Patience is a Virtue
The 2nd and third modern Olympiads were held in Paris and St. Louis , respectively , and neither one featured art competition . Coubertin wanted the Olympic movement to prepare some impulse before he alter the format of the Games . In an effort to appease Greek functionary who argued unsuccessfully that Athens should swear out as the permanent site of the modern Olympiad , Coubertin and the IOC agreed to let Athens host an interim Games in 1906 . Coubertin did n’t give ear and alternatively used the fourth dimension to organize a conference to raise his estimate .
The Paris Conference
Coubertin limn his architectural plan for the reestablishment of artistic creation competitions before an audience of about 60 artists and VIP , many of whom had been invited to Paris based on recommendation from his fellow IOC member . “We are to reunite in the bonds of legitimate wedlock a long - divorced couple – Muscle and Mind , ” enounce Coubertin , who proposed five competitions in architecture , sculpture , painting , music and lit . All of the art submit in this “ Pentathlon of the Muses ” was to be inspired by sportswoman . Coubertin ’s proposal to total art rivalry to the programme at the 1908 Games was unanimously O.K. .
Disappointment in London and Swedish Dissent
Rome was present the 1908 Games , but Italy ’s economical imbalance , exacerbated by the extravasation of Mount Vesuvius in 1906 , conduct the IOC to relocate the Games to London 18 calendar month before the scuttle ceremonial were scheduled to lead off . official from London ’s Royal Academy of the Arts had the embarrassing task of unionize the artistic production competitions on an accelerated schedule . Despite their good efforts , which included establishing the first rules for the events , the nontextual matter contest were not present in 1908 .
The IOC met in Luxembourg in June of 1910 to talk over plans for inaugurating the art competitions at the 1912 Games , which were to be held in Stockholm . abduce business over judging the competitions , Colonel Victor Balck of Sweden announced the Swedish Organizing Committee ’s desire to foreswear the competitions alone . Coubertin fired back that the inclusion body of graphics competitor at the Stockholm Games was not up for argumentation . The art competitions would be added in 1912 , whether Sweden ’s labor organizer liked the idea or not .
Final Preparations and Rules
Opening Ceremonies , 1912 / Getty Images
Sweden remained uncooperative in the calendar month leading up to the opening ceremonial , so Coubertin took it upon himself to promote the art competitions and invite artists to participate in the Games . The rules for the five events , which were far less restrictive than the original guidelines drafted for the 1908 Games , were write in September 1911 . Among them : All work presented were require to be original and at once inspire by the estimate of athletics . Size did n’t matter , except for sculptor , who were require to submit “ small models not larger than eighty centimeters in height , width , and length . ” While there were no language restriction , the jury — a multinational collection of individuals assembled by Coubertin — asked that all ms submit in a linguistic process other than German , English , Spanish , French or Italian be accompanied by a displacement to French , English , or German .
Surprise Winner
Coubertin himself pass on an ode in the Literature competition under a pseudonym and acquire the gold laurel wreath , though it ’s undecipherable how his victory run low undetected until geezerhood later . Some have suggested that Coubertin present the medal to himself , but Stanton observe no grounds in his inquiry to hold up that idea . The judges ’ glowing critical review of Coubertin ’s “ Ode to Sport ” read , in part : “ It emanates as immediately as is possible from the idea of fun . It praise sport in a shape that to the pinna is very literary and very sporting . ”
Limited Participation
A mere 33 artists signed the on - web site registry in Stockholm , but Stanton observe that there were entrants who did not take care the Games . Still , participation in the first modern art competitor was minimum . In fact , the only case in which the justice awarded a medal other than gold was Sculpture . In every other outcome , the judges decided that the non - fetching entries were not deserve of a medal . Alphonse Laverriere and Eugene Monod of Switzerland took top honors in the Architecture event for their designing of a modern Olympian sports stadium . The gold decoration in music was awarded to Italy ’s Ricardo Barthelemy for his “ Triumphal Olympic March . ”
In his critique of the Games , Coubertin express his dashing hopes that Sweden ’s organizers had break to comprise Barthelemy ’s winning ledger entry in the prescribed ceremonies , but Coubertin was mostly pleased . Muscle and mind were united again .
See Also:
11 Notable Medalists in the Olympic Art Competitions
