Olympic Art
Shoots and draws!
There was a time when there were art competitions tied to the Summer Olympics; that all ended in 1948. The event was called the Pentathlon of the Muses, as 5 categories were in competition: literature, painting, music, sculpture, and architecture. Just like athletic competition, there were medals awarded. However, in the grand wisdom of the IOC (International Olympic Committee), it was put to an end.
The Olympics, unlike today, were for competition between amateur athletes. Most of the artists involved were professionals. Personally, I would like to see the event returned to a field of amateurs, with the allowance for professional artists to be held. The participation of artists returned in 1956, but not in competition but in exhibitions and other cultural events. They became the Cultural Olympiad. It still exists. Presently in Milan Cortina it’s represented by cultural events throughout Italy. Previously, in the Paris Summer Olympics–2024 there were 2500 proceedings across France. The Venice Biennale is a popular event featuring artistic achievements from around the world and covers a broad spectrum of the arts, but it stands on its own.
It’s unfortunate that there is very little, if any, media awareness generated by the Cultural Olympiad. The epitome of human triumph is expressed with a myriad of facets, when one of those facets is put on the world stage, especially in tandem with the apex of athleticism it should be celebrated with participation from a full spectrum of creative achievement, and given the chance for an audience to bear witness.
International debate over both the curation and resulting reaction would open our eyes to the world’s effect of creativity on our lives. The cooperative spirit of these events could very well result in acknowledging the common ground between nations.
