About three years before the Games, the Organizing Committee (OCOG) began to deal with the art competitions. IOC member [Charles Sherrill] was appointed chairman of a committee that was responsible for these events. The OCOG thought that the competitions should be carried out in the same form in which they were held in 1928 at Amsterdam. Sherrill and Homer Saint-Gaudens, director of the art department of the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh, who had led several exhibitions, were asked to determine the costs, which were quoted to the American Federation of Arts. Leila Mechlin, the General Secretary of the American Federation of Arts, was responsible for the American region, while Guillaume Lerolle would be primarily responsible for Europe.

Lerolle informed the European NOCs that he wanted to visit the countries and choose the candidate works of art. Moreover he had also informed the respective governments that the Organizing Committee (OCOG) would pay for the transportation to Los Angeles. He quickly learned, however, that some NOCs wanted to select their own works, in which case, they would have to bear the costs. The NOCs were outraged, and protested to IOC president [Henri, Count de Baillet-Latour] and of course, Lerolle. Lerolle had come to Europe to promote an interest in the art competitions, but this could only be done in cooperation with the NOCs that would be solely responsible for their participation, and the different financial arrangements were considered unfair. Count de Baillet-Latour intervened with Sherrill and clearly pointed out the independence of NOCs in the selection of the art works. Saint-Gaudens visited the NOCs, felt the resistance, and came up with the strange idea to perform two exhibitions, an official one with the works of the NOCs, and a non-official one under the jurisdiction of the OCOG, for which the costs would be covered. This only led to further protests. Count de Baillet-Latour informed Sherrill that it was absurd to organize two exhibitions, with costs covered for only one of them. Lerolle caved in and informed the NOCs that they may select the works and the OCOG would be responsible for the costs and insurance of the works and the implementation of the exhibition.

Early in 1932 Sherrill was appointed ambassador to Turkey. The responsibility and jurisdiction over the art competitions then went to Leila Mechlin. Besides the usual program brochures including the participation rules for the sporting events, another brochure "General regulations for the art contests" was published and sent out to the NOCs. In addition to the usual information about the different categories, the brochure also specified that only works could be issued by living artists. The works had to be produced not earlier than 1 January 1928, and it was not allowed to submit works that had already been seen in Amsterdam. Comparing the names of the 1932 exhibits with those of 1928, doubts arise as to whether all these rules were respected. The art works had to have a thematic connection to sport and had to be accepted by their NOC. By 1 June 1932, the works had to have been received by the OCOG.

Although the participation in the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles was influenced by the world economic crisis and led to fewer teams and athletes, the number of artists or works of art submitted rose significantly. Probably the reason for that was that the costs were covered by the OCOG, with the money later refunded to the NOCs. There were 540 artists from 31 countries who sent 1,100 exhibits to the exhibition, but more than half of them came from the USA, as transport through the Panama Canal was difficult, lengthy, and costly, although the works of art were free of duty in the United States. The total insurance sum was $400,000.

Nine competitions within five art categories were held:

Architecture\: Designs For Town Planning; Architectural Designs

Sculpture\: Statues; Medals and Reliefs

Literature

Painting\: Paintings; Drawings and Water Colors; Graphic Arts

Music.

The exhibition was held from 30 July to 1 October 1932 at the Los Angeles Museum of History, Science and Art. There were 384,000 visitors who entered the exhibition, so that the visiting hours had to be extended. Countries that had sent many works, especially Germany, France, Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden and the USA, were situated in a special gallery. Works by the Canadian artist [Tait McKenzie] were placed in the foyer to see a retrospective of his enormous number of works. The prices of the art works were noted for sale. Everybody wishing to buy one of the works had to put down 10% of the selling price.

For the medal awards an International Jury for the Olympic Competition in Art was responsible, headed by Sherrill, with Leila Mechlin as his closest collaborator. For each of the five arts there was a jury of four to five members, which was not particularly international, as only one non-American per jury was represented.

In addition to gold, silver and bronze medals so-called "honorable recognitions" (Honorable Mention) were awarded. Those winners also received an artist diploma. The medals were handed over to the NOCs during the exhibition.

There were 45 participants from 14 countries who took part in architecture with 56 exhibits. The architects were offered a wide range of possibilities. There were drawings, watercolors, perspective drawings, sketches and photographs of construction projects to be submitted, … whose ultimate purpose is related to the training exercises of sport, such as stadiums, sports grounds, playgrounds, covered lanes, club buildings, boat houses, gymnasiums, bathhouses etc., and meet high artistic standards.

The jury for architecture consisted of the following\: Arthur Brown, Jr. (1874-1957), San Francisco; Myron Hunt (1868-1952), Palos Verdes Estates; Warren Powers Laird (1861-1948), Philadelphia, Frederick Heinrich Wilhelm Meyer (1872-1961), San Francisco; and Gottlieb Eliel Saarinen (1873-1950), FIN / Detroit; all more or less known architects in the U.S.

British architect [John Hughes] won the gold medal for Designs for a Sports and Recreation Center with Stadium for Liverpool. Although his design was not realized, he designed St. Andrew's Gardens, an Art Deco inspired building, which has become a dormitory for the University of Liverpool. Among others, he worked together with the famous Liverpool architect Sir Lancelot Keay (1883-1974).

The silver medalist was Danish architect [Jens Houmøller Klemmensen] with his Design for a Stadium and Public Park, an art work which consisted of ink drawings on large wood panels. It represented an Olympic Stadium located near a bay, surrounded by many other sports facilities and a huge area for parking.

Design for a Marathon Park, which won the bronze medal, was the work of Belgian architect [André Verbeke]. Nothing is known about this work and his life.

There were 45 participants from 14 countries who took part in architecture with 56 exhibits. The architects were offered a wide range of possibilities. There were drawings, watercolors, perspective drawings, sketches and photographs of construction projects to be submitted, … whose ultimate purpose is related to the training exercises of sport, such as stadiums, sports grounds, playgrounds, covered lanes, club buildings, boat houses, gymnasiums, bathhouses etc., and meet high artistic standards.

The jury for architecture consisted of the persons Arthur Brown, Jr. (1874-1957), San Francisco; Myron Hunt (1868-1952), Palos Verdes Estates; Warren Powers Laird (1861-1948), Philadelphia, Frederick Heinrich Wilhelm Meyer (1872-1961), San Francisco and Gottlieb Eliel Saarinen (1873-1950), FIN / Detroit; all more or less known architects in the U.S.

It was quite amazing that the jury gave the gold medal to the community work of the three Parisian architects [Gustave Saacké], [Pierre Bailly] and [Pierre Montenot] with their plan Design for a Circus for Toros, a bullring with many entry and exit paths, when one considers that a bullring has no significant connection to the Olympics Games.

American architect [John Russell Pope] earned the silver medal with Design for the Payne Whitney Gymnasium in New Haven. Pope had submitted 31 drawings and photographs of the school, which had already been built.

The bronze medal went to [Richard Konwiarz] for his Plan of Silesian Race Course. In 1932 he competed with the same work as 1928, again with photos of Wrocław Stadium, this time with more success. The Silesian-battle track, which is located in a large park on the outskirts of the city and has many sports facilities, later became the “Stadium Olimpijski we Wrocławiu,” although Wrocław has never tried to host the Olympic Games. After World War II Polish football matches and European matches involving Slask Wrocław were held in this stadium, but by 2014 only speedway racing is held there.

For most of the architecture competitors, it is unknown whether they competed in the Designs For Town Planning event, or the Architectural Designs competition.

This time in 1932 there was only one category in the literature competition, although in the brochure three groups were mentioned. An artist could apply with … lyrical and descriptive works (e.g., song, ode, hymn, cantata, lyrical prose, essay, etc.), dramatic works (e.g., tragedy, drama, comedy, farce, libretto, Freilichtspiele , dialogue, scenario, etc.) and finally, epic works (e.g., novels, short stories, epic tales, etc), although the topic had to be on sports. The works were limited to no more than 20,000 words, and editors could not submit any works.

The jury included eminent writers such as William Lyon Phelps, Thornton Savage, Hugh Walpole and André Maurois. The catalogue only indicated that 18 artists participated with 18 exhibits from eight countries, and does not mention the title of the writings submitted, because the submissions arrived so late in Los Angeles that they could no longer be included in the catalog. The jury also came together very late. It cannot be determined when the prizes were distributed.

An Honorable Mention went to [Avery Brundage], and it can be assumed that the jury wished to reward the President of the US Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), and future IOC President. Brundage was a lifelong advocate of pure amateurism, which he described in his essay The Significance of Amateur Sport.

The gold medal was awarded to German adventurer and author [Paul Bauer] for The Struggle with the Himalaya. The Munich-based Bauer executed an expedition to Kangchenjunga in 1929, and climbed partway up the third-highest mountain on Earth, at 8,586 meters. The expedition reached 7,300 meters, followed in 1931 by a second expedition in which they reached the Ostsporn (7,756 meters). One mountaineer and one sherpa were seriously injured and died, while two other climbers died from diseases. Bauer had submitted eight chapters of the manuscript for his planned book titled On Kangchenjunga.

The silver medal went to Danish writer [Josef Petersen] for The Argonauts. Petersen wrote mostly about ancient and medieval motifs and was well-known for his knowledge of ancient cultures. He won all his Olympic art medals (1924, 1932 and 1948) with works on ancient Greek sports motifs. The example of his work submitted in Los Angeles was the Argonauts Saga, which appeared in book form in 1932. No bronze medal was awarded.

The brochure described the music entries as follows\: Compositions for singing for one or more persons, with or without piano or orchestral accompaniment, composed for an instrument with or without accompaniment and instrumental chamber music; Compositions for Orchestra (Symphony, harmonium or fanfare band). The performance was not allowed to take more than one hour, and there needed to be a connection to sport. A total of 39 artists participated with as many works from 14 countries.

The jury consisted of\: Ernest Schelling (1878-1939), composer; Rubin Goldmark (1872-1936), pianist and composer; Zygmunt “Sigismund” Denis Antoni Jordan de Stojowski (1870-1946), Polish pianist and composer, since 1905 living in the U.S., all from New York City; Carl Engel (1883-1944), New York, a French-born American pianist and musicologist; and Antanas Jurgelionis (1894-1976), a Lithuanian doctor and sports official, who headed the Lithuanian delegation in Amsterdam 1928.

The gold and the bronze medals were not awarded. The silver medal went to Czech composer [Josef Šuk] and his March Into a New Life. He was the grandfather of the violinist Josef Šuk (1929-2011) and the son of the famous composer Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904).

The jury in the painting category consisted of Reginald H. Poland (1893-1975), San Diego; John Christian Johansen (1876-1964), New York; Eugene Francis Savage (1883-1978), New York; David Alfaro Siqueiros (1896-1974), Mexico; and Benjamin Chambers Brown (1865-1942), Pasadena. All were well-known painters, sculptors and museum directors.

The division into three areas, which had been made in 1928 for the first time, was retained. These were supposed to be separated as follows\: … Paintings (in oil on canvas or cardboard); drawings and watercolors on paper or on the appropriate fabric, single or multi-colored; graphical art (engravings, lithographs, posters). Once again a connection with sport was required. A total of 322 artists took part with 665 exhibits from 19 countries.

US artist [Lee Blair] painted Rodeo, which won the gold medal. The silver medal was earned by his colleague [Percy Crosby] for Jackknife, a sports columnist and illustrator for the “New York Globe”. He also entered the arts competitions in 1936. The bronze medal went to Dutch painter [Gerard Westermann] for Horseman, who also participated in 1936.

Four artists received honorable mention for their works. Among them was [Acee Blue Eagle], a well-known Pawnee Indian, who was an artist, educator, dancer, and flute player. It is also not known how the works were evaluated. Some works are referred to as )hors concours) in the Official Report, and there is no further explanation for this category.

The jury in the painting category consisted of the following\: Reginald H. Poland (1893-1975), San Diego; John Christian Johansen (1876-1964), New York; Eugene Francis Savage (1883-1978), New York; David Alfaro Siqueiros (1896-1974), Mexico; and Benjamin Chambers Brown (1865-1942), Pasadena. All were well-known painters, sculptors and museum directors.

The division into three areas, which had been made in 1928 for the first time, was retained. These were supposed to be separated as follows\: … Paintings (in oil on canvas or cardboard); drawings and watercolors on paper or on the appropriate fabric, single or multi-colored; graphical art (engravings, lithographs, posters). Once again a connection with sport was required. A total of 322 artists took part with 665 exhibits from 19 countries.

US gold medalist [Joseph Webster Golinkin] published his graphic work Leg Scissors, a wrestling scene 1932 in the )Los Angeles Times) under the title Games Foster Competition in Genius. In 1936 he participated with two works on the art competitions in Berlin. Polish Silver medalist [Janina Konarska-Słonimska] ( Stadium ) was a graphic artist and sculptor. German artist [Joachim Karsch] won the bronze medal with Stabwechsel (Changeover). After the Russian Army had occupied his residence Groß Gandern in February 1945 and destroyed his works, he avoided abduction by committing joint suicide with his wife Liesbeth.

Four more artists received Honorable Mentions for their works. Among them was British [Gerald Spencer Pryse] with his work Greyhound Coursing. It is also not known how the works were evaluated. Some works are referred to as )hors concours) in the Official Report, and there is no further explanation for this category.

The jury in the painting category consisted of the following\: Reginald H. Poland (1893-1975), San Diego; John Christian Johansen (1876-1964), New York; Eugene Francis Savage (1883-1978), New York; David Alfaro Siqueiros (1896-1974), Mexico; and Benjamin Chambers Brown (1865-1942), Pasadena. All were well-known painters, sculptors and museum directors.

The division into three areas, which had been made in 1928 for the first time, was retained. These were supposed to be separated as follows\: … Paintings (in oil on canvas or cardboard); drawings and watercolors on paper or on the appropriate fabric, single or multi-colored; graphical art (engravings, lithographs, posters). Once again a connection with sport was required. A total of 322 artists took part with 665 exhibits from 19 countries.

In this category no bronze medal was awarded. The gold medal was earned by Swedish artist [David Wallin] for At the Seaside of Arild, a painting whose female figure in the center of the painting is reminiscent of Botticelli's Venus. The silver medal was won by US artist [Ruth Miller] for Struggle, a painting showing a realistic representation of a battle between a black and a white freestyle wrestler, a remarkable thing for the era considering that racial discrimination was still legal in the United States.

Five more artists received Honorable Mentions for their works, one of whom was US artist [George Hill] with his work Surf Fishing. He was the husband of graphic artist and painter [Polly Hill]. It is also not known how the works were evaluated. Some works are referred to as )hors concours) in the Official Report, and there is no further explanation for this category.

For most of the painting competitors, it is unknown in which of the three events they entered. A notable entrant in painting was former tennis player [Helen Wills], who had won two gold medals in 1924.