 there were 146 medalists in the art competitions that were part of the olympic games from 1912 until 1948. these art competitions were considered an integral part of the movement by international olympic committee (ioc) founder pierre de coubertin and necessary to recapture the complete essence of the ancient olympic games. their absence before the 1912 summer olympics, according to journalism professor richard stanton, stems from coubertin "not wanting to fragment the focus of his new and fragile movement". art competitions were originally planned for inclusion in the 1908 summer olympics but were delayed after that edition's change in venue from rome to london following the 1906 eruption of mount vesuvius.stanton, p. 18. by the 1924 summer olympics they had grown to be considered internationally relevant and potentially "a milestone in advancing public awareness of art as a whole".stanton, p. 69. during their first three appearances, the art competitions were grouped into five broad categories: architecture, literature, music, painting, and sculpturing. the dutch organizing committee for the 1928 summer olympics split these into subcategories in the hopes of increasing participation.stanton, p. 95. although it was a successful strategy, the 1932 summer olympics eliminated several of these subcategories, which led to fewer entries in the broader categories.stanton, p. 146. for the 1936 summer olympics, the german government proposed the addition of a film contest to the program, which was rejected.stanton, p. 158. following a final appearance at the 1948 summer olympics, art competitions were removed from the olympic program. planners of the 1952 summer olympics opposed their inclusion on logistical grounds, claiming that the lack of an international association for the event meant that the entire onus of facilitation was placed on the local organizing committee.stanton, p. 210. concerns were also raised about the professionalism of the event, since only amateurs were allowed to participate in the sporting tournaments,stanton, p. 211. and the growing commercialization of the competitions, as artists had been permitted to sell their submissions during the course of the games since 1928. in 1952 an art festival and exhibition 
Architecture_awards Art_competitions_at_the_Olympic_Games Arts_awards Lists_of_Summer_Olympic_medalists_by_sport