It may surprise you, but Olympic gold medals were not always awarded solely for sporting achievements.
During the 1932 Summer Games held in Los Angeles, Lee Blair from the USA proudly displayed his gold medal after excelling in a unique category—watercolors and drawings.
Blair, an artist and animator for Disney, became an Olympic champion with his watercolor painting titled ‘Rodeo’, which featured a prominent American theme.
Another American artist, Percy Crosby, earned the silver medal for his piece called ‘Jackknife’.
For the first 40 years of the prestigious event, Olympic officials awarded medals in creative fields in addition to sports, with categories including sculpture, architecture, literature, painting, and music alongside watercolors and drawings.
USA’s Olympic gold medal in watercolors dates back to the 1932 Games in LA (Pictured: Artist Peter Spens paints the Eiffel Tower during the current Paris Olympics)
Even the most devoted Olympic enthusiasts are just beginning to understand that competitors could secure medals through artistic skills.
‘Everyone I’ve spoken to about it has been shocked,’ shares Richard Stanton, author of the 2002 book The Forgotten Olympic Art Competitions.
‘I discovered it while reading a history book and stumbled upon a brief mention of Olympic art competitions, prompting me to exclaim, “What competitions?”‘
Stanton proceeded to write the first— and still the only—English-language book ever published on this topic.
The USA has amassed a total of nine Olympic medals across artistic competitions, including events in town planning and graphic works.
