What happened to art competitions at the Olympics? Pharrell Williams campaigns to bring back abandoned contests at Summer Games

American singer-songwriter and fashion designer Pharrell Williams spearheads a new movement to revive the long-abandoned art competitions at the Summer Olympics.

On July 26, 2024, during the opening ceremony of the Olympics, Williams took a moment to reflect on the abandoned contests at the Summer Games, stating that there was a time in the modern Olympic Games when artistic competitions were an official part of the event.

"We get to remind people that at one point, the Olympics actually had the arts as a section that ran all these competitions," Williams said.

As per Turkiye Today, art competitions were abandoned in 1954 due to the violation of the Olympic rule, as artists competing in this category were considered professionals. At the Olympic Games, athletes were required to be amateurs.

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The lost tradition: Revisiting art competitions in the Olympics

Paris city hall unveils Olympic rings (Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images)

Art competitions were once an integral part of the modern Olympic Games, a vision realized by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics. The idea of including art competitions in the Olympic Games was inspired by Ancient Greek beliefs that to achieve harmony, the mind and body had to be exercised thoroughly.

Moreover, Coubertin proposed the idea during the early 1900s, and his idea was accepted; however, the implementation took time due to several financial issues arising from the Vesuvius eruption in 1906. Writing in Le Figaro in 1904, when Coubertin created the Olympic Committee, he stated his plan as follows —

"In the high times of Olympia, the fine arts were combined harmoniously with the Olympic Games to create their glory. This is to become reality once again."

The first art competition, held in 1912, had five subcategories: painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, and music. The competition was proposed with the condition that every art piece had to be inspired by or dedicated to sports only. Only 33 artists participated in this first competition; however, the number gradually increased to 1100 artists submitting their art pieces in 1928 in Amsterdam.

The gold medal winner in 1928 was a French artist, Paul Landowski, for his sculpture of a boxer. The artist is now also known for the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Brazil. However, in 1949, the Olympic Committee suggested that many artists were professionals, unlike athletes, who were required to be amateurs. This created a conflict with the Olympic ethos of amateurism, making it challenging to maintain a fair competition.

Following the rule's contradictions, art competitions were eliminated from the Olympics. However, the rules in the modern Olympic Games have evolved to allow professionals to compete alongside amateurs. Despite this significant change, art competitions have not been reinstated.

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Pharrell Williams advocates for the revival of art contests at the Summer Olympics

Last Friday, Williams, when he served as the final bearer of the Olympic torch for the Paris Games and carried the iconic flame to the top of the Basilica of Saint-Denis, suggested bringing art competitions back. He stated that the platform could be effectively used to raise awareness for the inclusion of art competitions.

"Sculpture, architecture, visual arts. The idea we get to put the arts back in….Why not take this moment to bring awareness?" Williams said.

Williams' expression for adding art again resonates with his passion for art elements in his career.

In a 2012 interview with Complex, the fashion designer noted that whether through fashion design or singing, people express themselves in various ways, which resounds with the theory that much like people do express themselves through their art.

"What's music without fashion, you know. What is fashion without music? They're all basically ways to express yourself. Musically, you express yourself and fashion-wise, you express yourself. Some people who are good at one thing and some people are great at all three," Williams said.

Moreover, his artistic approach to fashion was recently seen in Paris Fashion Week with Louis Vuitton's show at UNESCO in June 2024.

The Olympic Committee is yet to respond to Pharrell Williams' suggestion.