Joseph Webster Golinkin

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games
SexMale
Full nameJoseph Webster•Golinkin
Used nameJoseph Webster•Golinkin
Born10 September 1896 in Chicago, Illinois (USA)
Died8 September 1977 in Glen Cove, New York (USA)
NOC United States
Medals OG
Gold 1
Silver 0
Bronze 0
Total 1

Biography

Joseph Golinkin studied in Chicago and New York and began his art career as a newspaper illustrator. He was later a brilliant painter of sporting scenes, especially boxing matches, including Joe Louis’ (1914-81) rematch against German boxer Max Schmeling (1905-2005) in 1938, fox hunts, and America’s Cup races. Many of his paintings show aspects of American life in the 1920s and 30s – dancing, jazz concerts and portraits. Golinkin was also a stamp designer. He painted in oil and watercolor and created lithographs and etchings as a graphic artist. During World War II Golinkin was an admiral in the US Navy, serving as commander of the destroyer USS Hilbert in 1944.

The 1932 work Leg Scissors won the gold medal in Mixed Graphic Arts within the Art Competitions. It was released on 3 August 1932 in the Los Angeles Times under the title “Games Foster Competition in Genius”. The lithograph not only appeared under the title Leg Scissors but also as Head Scissors. Manassa Mauler is a nickname of boxer Jack Dempsey (1895-1983), given to him after his birthplace Manassa in Colorado. The lithograph from 1925 was sized 35.5 x 45.7 cm. In that year, however, Dempsey did not have a fight and his career was already coming to an end. No illustration of Break it off could be found. The work was mentioned referring to an exhibition under the title Break it off and Throw it up Here, however, and described as a picture of an enthusiastic crowd. Reverse Headlock from about 1931 was also a lithograph. The sheet measured 55.5 x 40.2 cm, and the print 33.8 x 27.4 cm. Tear ˈim Apart, another lithograph 41.2 x 31.5 cm in size, is said to have been produced as late as 1938, but this is obviously wrong.

Under the title Polo at Meadow Brook-No. 1-6, a series of watercolors was submitted depicting scenes from an international tournament held in 1930 on the grounds of the Meadowbrook Polo Club (formerly just the Meadow Brook Club), probably the annual United States National Open held there. The club was then located in Westbury, now Old Westbury, New York, and is the oldest, continuously active polo club in the USA, founded in 1881. It is unknown how many paintings were produced on this occasion. It is also impossible to identify the works exhibited in 1932. The formats of most of the paintings range from just under 30 to about 40 cm in side length, although some reached twice that size.

In 1936 Golinkin participated with two lithographs in the Berlin Art Competitions: Primo on the Ropes from 1935 (43 x 53 cm) and Baer – Louis from 1936 (40.2 x 50.3 cm). The former shows a scene from Primo Carnera’s (1906-67) fight against Max Baer (1909-59) on 14 June 1934 at the Madison Square Garden Bowl in Long Island City. Baer, the challenger, knocked down Carnera 10 times and finally stopped him in the 11th round to gain the title. The fight of Joe Louis against Max Baer took place on 24 September 1935 at Yankee Stadium in New York. In the third round Louis knocked down Baer twice, the first time that Baer was ever knocked down in his career. A left hook in the fourth round dropped him to his knees again, and the referee stopped the fight shortly thereafter. There are several very similar versions of this lithograph.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
1932 Summer Olympics Art Competitions USA Joseph Webster Golinkin
Painting, Drawings And Water Colors, Open (Olympic) AC
Painting, Drawings And Water Colors, Open (Olympic) AC
Painting, Drawings And Water Colors, Open (Olympic) AC
Painting, Drawings And Water Colors, Open (Olympic) AC
Painting, Drawings And Water Colors, Open (Olympic) AC
Painting, Drawings And Water Colors, Open (Olympic) AC
Painting, Graphic Arts, Open (Olympic) 1 Gold
Painting, Graphic Arts, Open (Olympic) AC
Painting, Graphic Arts, Open (Olympic) AC
Painting, Graphic Arts, Open (Olympic) AC
Painting, Graphic Arts, Open (Olympic) AC
1936 Summer Olympics Art Competitions USA Joseph Webster Golinkin
Painting, Graphic Arts, Open (Olympic) AC
Painting, Graphic Arts, Open (Olympic) AC