Art competitions at the 1948 Summer Olympics

Art competitions were held as part of the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, Great Britain. Medals were awarded in five categories (architecture, literature, music, painting, and sculpture), for works inspired by sport-related themes. These were the first Olympic Games following the devastation of World War II, and tensions between nations remained high, with much debate about the inclusion of Germany, Italy, and Japan.

The art exhibition was held at the Victoria and Albert Museum from 15 July to 14 August, and displayed works of art from 27 countries. The literature competition attracted 44 entries, and the music competition had 36 entries.

The art competitions included multiple subcategories for each of the five artistic categories. The judges declined to award any medals for dramatic works in literature, and no gold medals in another five subcategories. Alex Diggelmann of Switzerland won both a silver medal and a bronze medal for two different entries in the applied arts and crafts subcategory, a feat unlikely to be duplicated in any event in the current Olympic program.

These were the last Games in which art competitions were held, after being in the official program for all Games since 1912. At a meeting of the International Olympic Committee in 1949 it was decided to hold art exhibitions instead, as it was judged inappropriate to permit professionals to compete in the art competitions while only amateurs were permitted to compete in sporting events. Since 1952 a non-competitive art and cultural festival has been associated with each Games.

Architecture Architectural design"Skisprungschanze auf dem Kobenzl""Watersports Centre in Carinthia""Baths and Sporting Hall for Gothenburg"Town planning"The Centre of Athletics in Varkaus, Finland""Swiss Federal Sports and Gymnastics Training Centre""The Athletic Centre in Kemi, Finland"

Literature Lyric works"Laurel of Hellas""Six Poems""Rythme du Stade"Dramatic worksnone awardednone awardednone awardedEpic works"La Grotta""The Olympic Champion""The Well of Youth"

Music Vocalnone awardednone awarded"Inno Olimpionico"Instrumental and chambernone awarded"Divertimenti for Solo Flute and Strings""Toccata per Pianoforte"Compositions for Orchestra"Olympic Symphony""Karhunpyynti""Vigeur"

Painting and graphic art Oils and water colours"London Amateur Championships""Le Pistard""Meath Hunt Point-to-Point Races"Engravings and etchings"Swimming Pool""Polo Players""Seaside Sport"Applied arts and craftsnone awarded"World Championship for Cycling Poster""World Championship for Ice Hockey Poster"

Sculpture Statues"Homage to Ling""The Stag""Nageuse"Reliefsnone awardednone awarded"The End of the Covert"Medals and plaquesnone awarded"Eight Sports Plaques""Prize Rowing Trophy"

Medal table At the time, medals were awarded to these artists, but art competitions are no longer regarded as official Olympic events by the International Olympic Committee. These events do not appear in the IOC medal database, and these totals are not included in the IOC's medal table for the 1948 Games.

Events summary Architecture Designs for Town Planning

The following architects took part: Rank Name Country 1 Yrjö Lindegren 2 Edy Knupfer, Werner Schindler 3 Ilmari Niemeläinen AC Jack Néel, Pierre Vago

Architectural designs

The following architects took part: Rank Name Country 1 Adolf Hoch 2 Alfred Rinesch 3 Nils Olsson AC Dagoberto Ortensi AC Dragan Boltar AC Franjo Neidhardt AC Vladimir Turina AC František Marek AC Patrick Horsbrugh AC Örjan Lüning AC Ferdinand Marani AC Robert Morris

Further entries

The following architects took part: Rank Name Country AC Charles Terry Pledge AC Wilhelm Andreas Herdey AC Lorle Herdey-von Savageri AC Alexander Scott AC A. Tarık Eğrilmez AC Renato Giovanelli AC Dagoberto Ortensi AC Thurston Williams AC Maxwell Ayrton AC Hans Janssen AC Walter van der Valk AC Eskil Lundahl AC Sture Frölén Rank Name Country AC Jan Wils AC Hans Asplund AC Berkeley Moir AC Patroklos Karantinos AC Karel Kuthan AC Sjoerd Joustra AC Predrag Kovačević AC Harold Kaplan AC Abraham Sprachman AC Vlastibor Klimeš AC Ferdinand Balcárek AC Mario Ghedina AC Konstantinos Aslanidis Rank Name Country AC Guy Ardilouze AC Jean Démaret AC Othello Zavaroni AC Carlo Di Maria AC Alfred Ferraz AC Lucien Seignol AC Georges Tourry AC Auguste Perret AC Guy Sabrou AC Siegfried Theiß AC Hans Jaksch AC Dermot O'Toole

Literature

Dramatic works

The following writers took part: Rank Name Country AC Clotilde Luisi AC José María Podestá AC Benoît Bickel

Epic works

The following writers took part: Rank Name Country 1 Giani Stùparich 2 Josef Petersen 3 Éva Földes AC Hans Breidbach-Bernau AC Stanislaus Lynch AC Giorgio Caproni AC Max Ehinger AC Miklós Jós AC Philip Greene AC Philip Rooney AC Juuse Tamminen AC Joel Laikka

Lyric works

The following writers took part: Rank Name Country 1 Aale Tynni 2 Ernst Van Heerden 3 Gilbert Prouteau AC Heikki Asunta AC Eleuter Iwaszkiewicz AC Walter Roberts AC Giorgio Caproni AC Michele Caballo Galleano AC Benoît Bickel AC Ferdinand Schell AC René Borchanne AC Stanislaus Lynch AC Flora Vere O'Brien

Unknown event

The following writers took part: Rank Name Country AC Geraldine Wright AC Doris Hedges AC Gérard Bessette AC François Hertel

Music

Compositions for orchestra

The following composers took part: Rank Name Country 1 Zbigniew Turski 2 Kalervo Tuukkanen 3 Erling Brene AC Grażyna Bacewicz AC Einar Englund AC Jan Kapr AC Maurice Thiriet AC Stanisław Wiechowicz AC Yves Baudrier AC Werner Gallusser AC Jean Daetwyler AC Clermont Pépin AC Alexander Brott AC Oskar Morawetz AC Aarre Merikanto

Instrumental and chamber

The following composers took part: Rank Name Country 1 Not awarded 2 John Weinzweig 3 Sergio Lauricella AC Jean Coulthard Adams AC Mario Panunzi AC Harry Somers AC James C. Flynn

Vocals

The following composers took part: Rank Name Country 1 Not awarded 2 Not awarded 3 Gabriele Bianchi AC Ina Boyle AC Barbara Pentland AC Harry Somers AC John Weinzweig AC Gerard Victory AC Jan Zdeněk Bartoš

Unknown event

The following composers took part: Rank Name Country AC Václav Dobiáš AC Josef Kouba

Painting Graphic arts

The following painters took part: Rank Name Country 1 Albert Decaris 2 John Copley 3 Walter Battiss AC Laura Knight AC Adam Marczyński AC Gino De Finetti AC Chen Hsiao-nan AC John Skeaping AC Gwen Raverat AC Lilla Hellesen AC Andrzej Jurkiewicz AC Delmar Banner AC André Dunoyer de Segonzac AC Flora Vere O'Brien AC Hans Erni AC Heinrich Krause AC James Bostock AC John Buckland-Wright AC Livinius van de Bundt AC Luc Albert Moreau AC William Washington AC Winifred Austen AC Luigi Bartolini AC Frederick Austin AC Anthony Gross

Paintings

The following painters took part: Rank Name Country 1 Alfred Thomson 2 Giovanni Stradone 3 Letitia Hamilton AC Thies Luijt AC Aimé Thevenet AC Cosmo Clark AC Fritz Brandtner AC Lucien Fontanarosa AC Walter Battiss AC Giuseppe Riccobaldi del Bava AC Mimma Riccobaldi del Bava AC A. G. Chagale AC Alfred Gerstenbrand AC Anthony Gross AC Bettina Somers AC Chang Chien-ying Rank Name Country AC Corrado Mancioli AC Delmar Banner AC Hernando Ocampo AC Howard Jarvis AC Jan Goedhart AC John Platt AC K. S. Kulkarni AC Karl-Maria May AC Lionel Edwards AC Lotti Lobsiger-Schibli AC Mino Maccari AC Robert Lips AC Roy Beddington AC Russell Reeve AC John Sanderson-Wells Rank Name Country AC Sun Zongwei AC Cheng Wu-fei AC Alfred Egerton Cooper AC Paul Maze AC Karl Borschke AC Laura Knight AC John Copley AC John Skeaping AC Anna Zinkeisen AC Gino De Finetti AC Clifford Hall AC Vera Matthews-Irving AC Maurice MacGonigal AC Ciaran Clear AC Thomas Healy

Unknown event

The following painters took part: Rank Name Country AC Adrienne Jouclard AC Anna Zinkeisen AC Deirdre Henty-Creer AC Doris Zinkeisen AC Ethel Gabain AC Heather Child AC Paula Maly AC Vera Brookman AC Louis De Marquevic AC Alfred Egerton Cooper AC Alec Pecker AC Alfred Munnings AC Allan Walton AC Kees Andrea AC Angelo Savelli AC Ásgeir Bjarnþórsson AC Charles Cundall AC Charles Lamb AC Zhang Anzhi AC Christopher Campbell AC Clifford Hall AC Kees Maks AC Dimitrios Kokotsis AC Daniel Vázquez AC Coralie de Burgh AC Dick Hart Rank Name Country AC Domenico Purificato AC Eduard Matras AC Edith Marion Scales AC Ekke Ozlberger AC Elli Riehl AC Emil Kotrba AC Felice Ludovisi AC Feliks Topolski AC Frederick Austin AC George Pilkington AC Giuseppe Capogrossi AC Gijs Kramer AC Hans Erni AC Helen Sampson AC Henryk Tomaszewski AC Hervé Morvan AC Herbert Gurschner AC Jack Hanlon AC Jacques Maloubier AC João Fragoso AC John Farleigh AC John Wheatley AC Karl Borschke AC Klaus Pachnicke AC Luigi Bartolini AC Jerry Critchlow Rank Name Country AC Mario Cortiello AC Max Frey AC Paul Daxhelet AC Paul Maze AC Roy de Maistre AC Ray Howard-Jones AC Richard Murry AC Thomas Dugdale AC Victor Coverley-Price AC Vittorio Piscopo AC A. Wynne-Rogers AC Wilhelm Kaufmann AC William Fisher AC Denholm Armour AC Charles Simpson AC Laura Knight AC Howard Jarvis AC Frederic Whiting AC Cosmo Clark AC Letitia Hamilton AC Norman Wilkinson AC William Nicholson AC Alex Walter Diggelmann AC Winifred Austen AC Ian James Scott

Applied arts

The following painters took part: Rank Name Country 1 Not awarded 2 Alex Walter Diggelmann 3 Alex Walter Diggelmann AC Bernard Cuzner AC Stanley Morris AC Cecily Briant AC Gertrude Bohnert AC Jacques Maloubier AC Gertrude Poilschek AC Helena Stuliková AC Josephine Cheesman AC Joyce Himsworth Rank Name Country AC Phyllis Platt AC Alf von Chmielowski AC Alois Mitschek AC Cyril Shiner AC Edgard Derouet AC Paul Fromentier AC Freda Hands AC Geoffrey Holden AC H. E. Twaits AC Ian James Scott AC John Auld Rank Name Country AC Jerzy Jarnuszkiewicz AC Johann Horvath AC Rudolf Terhes AC Lucien Bernier AC Mans Meijer AC Paul Colin AC Peter Stebbing AC Ralph Lavers AC Reginald Till AC William Wilson AC Yvon Lalande

Sculpture Medals and plaques

The following sculptors took part: Rank Name Country 1 Not awarded 2 Oskar Thiede 3 Edwin Grienauer AC Alex Walter Diggelmann AC Filippo Sgarlata AC Stanislav Binar AC Alessandro Manzo AC Omero Taddeini AC Thomas Wilkinson

Reliefs

The following sculptors took part: Rank Name Country 1 Not awarded 2 Not awarded 3 Rosamund Fletcher

Statues

The following sculptors took part: Rank Name Country 1 Gustaf Nordahl 2 Chintamoni Kar 3 Hubert Yencesse AC Emilio Greco AC Filippo Sgarlata AC Franciszek Strynkiewicz AC Jerzy Bandura AC Joseph Rivière AC Knud Nellemose AC Margarete Markl AC Edwin Grienauer AC Edmund Reitter AC Karl Stemolak AC Guy Van Den Steen AC Elsy Blom-Wirz Rank Name Country AC Odon Lallemand AC Sybil Kennedy AC Robert Norgate AC Henri Lagriffoul AC Joël Martel AC Jan Martel AC Dora Gordine AC David Evans AC Mary Morton AC Phyllis Bone AC Eric Winters AC Desmond Broe AC Edmondo Gigante AC May Power AC Filippo Tallone Rank Name Country AC Angelo Di Castro AC Alessandro Manzo AC Co Derr AC Graciano Nepomuceno AC Jacek Żuławski AC Jan Ślusarczyk AC Maria Bujakowa AC Helena Bukowska-Szlekys AC Hans Brandenberger AC Ferdy Denzler AC Olof Ahlberg AC Karel Otáhal AC Jakub Obrovský AC Jindřich Severa

Unknown event

The following sculptors took part: Rank Name Country AC Karl Stemolak AC Kostas Valsamis AC Peter Peri AC Leoncillo Leonardi AC Marcel Chauvenet AC Marino Mazzacurati AC Maurice Lambert AC Michael Drobil AC Otto Hofner AC Paul Vincze AC Tait McKenzie AC Raymond Coulon Rank Name Country AC René Iché AC Robert Allan Miller AC Siegfried Charoux AC Hugo Daini AC V. Robinson Hodge AC Wäinö Aaltonen AC Walter Linck AC Rosamund Fletcher AC Chintamoni Kar AC Norman Tyrrell AC Antoni Kenar AC Jakub Obrovský Rank Name Country AC Guy Van Den Steen AC Alex Walter Diggelmann AC Knud Nellemose AC Filippo Sgarlata AC Ferdinand Opitz AC Edmund Moiret AC Albin Döbrich AC Karin Jarl-Sakellarios AC Jack Downing AC Charles Stanier AC W. G. Webb AC Gertrude Bohnert

References