From 1912-1948, art was a competitive element of the Olympic Games with three Irish Art Olympians winning medals for Ireland (Jack B Yeats, Letitia Marion Hamilton, and Oliver St John Gogarty). Ireland entered the Olympics in 1924 a year and half after the Free State had been declared. Jack B Yeats’ Silver medal for ‘The Liffey Swim’ (1923) painting, and Oliver St John Gogarty’s Bronze for his ‘Ode to the Tailteann Games’ were the first Olympic Medals won for Ireland as a free nation.
But what does it mean to compete as an artist? What does it mean to represent your nation alongside, and against, others? Who decides the difference between gold, silver and bronze levels of creativity – and does it matter?
For more information, visit Waterford Gallery of Art