The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will be hosting its 96th Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday night. The event is commonly referred to as the Oscars, a term that has been used since the early 1930s and was officially adopted by the Academy in 1939. The Oscars have become the most recognized and prestigious awards in the film industry, surpassing even the Nobel and Pulitzer prizes in global recognition.
The Academy has described the Oscar statuette as a shiny gold figurine that depicts a knight standing erect, holding a crusader’s sword with his right hand over his left. The sword symbolizes the Academy’s commitment to defending the film industry, while the crusader imagery represents the Academy’s aspiration to champion the art of filmmaking. The knight stands on a reel of film with five spokes, which represents the original branches of the organization: producers, actors, directors, writers, and technicians. This iconic symbol has become synonymous with excellence in the world of cinema, and each year, filmmakers and actors strive to earn one of these coveted awards.
The origin of the nickname “Oscar” for the iconic statuette awarded by the Academy Awards has long been a subject of debate and speculation. Several theories have been proposed over the years, but none of them have provided conclusive evidence to support their claims. One popular story attributes the name to Margaret Herrick, the Academy’s early executive director, who is said to have commented that the statuette resembled her uncle Oscar. Another theory credits actress Bette Davis, who claimed that the statuette looked like her husband Harmon Oscar Nelson. A third explanation comes from columnist Sidney Skolsky, who was the first to refer to the statuette in print as “Oscar” because he grew tired of writing “gold statuette” and thought it would be more convenient to reference a vaudeville joke in which a comedian would ask an orchestra leader, “Will you have a cigar, Oscar?”.
These explanations have been widely accepted and repeated for almost a century. However, a few weeks ago, a new theory emerged that challenges these claims. The theory is based on the discovery of ancient sculptures in Egypt that bear a striking resemblance to the Oscar statuette. These sculptures were sent to a person’s brother who was on his honeymoon in Egypt. Intrigued by this discovery, the person delved deep into the history of the Academy and consulted with Egyptologists at Ivy League universities to uncover the truth about the design and name of the statuette. According to this investigation, the true story may be very different from what we have been led to believe all these years.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was established in 1927, with the primary objective of promoting harmony in the film industry and preventing the unionization of artists and craftsmen. The organization was the brainchild of Louis B. Mayer, who was the chief of MGM at the time. One of the key ideas that emerged during the early discussions was the notion of presenting awards to recognize outstanding achievements in the field of film-making.
The Academy was founded by 36 industry leaders, including Cedric Gibbons, who was the supervising art director at MGM. Gibbons had been with the studio since its inception in 1924 and was one of the most respected and influential figures in the industry. Just two weeks after the establishment of the Academy, he was tasked with creating a seal or emblem that would represent the organization.
Gibbons came up with a sketch of what is essentially the Oscar, the iconic trophy that is now synonymous with the Academy Awards. The initial sketch was two-dimensional, but he eventually designed a three-dimensional version of the trophy that was approved by the board of directors. The award was named the “Academy Award of Merit,” but it quickly became known as the Oscar.
The Academy Awards have since become one of the most prestigious events in the film industry, celebrating the best performances, direction, screenplays, and technical achievements in the movies. The Oscars are now broadcast around the world, with millions of people tuning in to watch the glitz and glamour of the red carpet and the excitement of the awards ceremony.
In 1928, Cedric Gibbons, the head of the art department at MGM Studios, designed a statuette that would later become known as the Academy Award. He hired a young sculptor named George Stanley, who was only 26 years old at the time, to bring his vision to life for a mere $500. The statuette was completed that same year and was cast in bronze by Guido Nelli, a master craftsman at the California Art Bronze Foundry. The final touch was to plate the statuette in gold, giving it a distinctive and elegant look.
On May 16, 1929, the first Academy Awards ceremony was held, and a dozen of these statuettes were presented to the winners. Both Mayer and Stanley were in attendance, but Gibbons could not make it. From that day forward, the Academy Award statuette became an iconic symbol of the film industry, representing excellence in filmmaking.
Despite its fame, few people have noticed the striking resemblance between the statuette and ancient Egyptian sculptures of Ptah, the god of arts, crafts, and trade. Ptah has been depicted in various ways over the years, but he is often shown in a sleek, gold-plated form, standing upright with his arms and face exposed, holding a staff in his hands with his right hand over his left.
Some artists have speculated that Gibbons may have been influenced by ancient Egyptian art when designing the statuette. For instance, artist Karon Davis has suggested that the Academy Award statuette looks very similar to the ancient Egyptian god Ptah. Despite these speculations, the Academy has never commented on the similarities between the statuette and the ancient Egyptian sculptures of Ptah.
The Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, is an annual event that recognizes excellence in the film industry. The statuette awarded to winners of the Academy Awards is one of the most recognizable trophies in the world. The design of the statuette is attributed to Cedric Gibbons, a renowned art director and production designer who worked for MGM studios during the 1920s and 1930s.
Gibbons was a key figure in the Art Deco movement, which emerged in Europe in the early 20th century and quickly spread to the United States. The movement, characterized by its use of geometric shapes, bold colors, and modern materials, was a response to the ornate and decorative styles that had dominated art and design for centuries.
Gibbons was exposed to the Art Deco style during a trip to Paris in 1925, where he attended the Exposition des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes. He was immediately drawn to the style and began incorporating it into his work. He designed his own home in the Hollywood Hills in the Art Deco style, which he shared with his first wife, Dolores Del Rio, a silent-era movie star. The home became a popular gathering spot for Hollywood’s elite, and Gibbons hosted many lavish parties there.
Gibbons went on to design countless sets for MGM in the Art Deco style, including the lobby of Grand Hotel (1932) and the fantastical settings of Busby Berkeley’s kaleidoscopic 1930s musicals. The Art Deco style was a perfect fit for the glamorous and opulent world of Hollywood, and Gibbons became one of its most prominent practitioners.
While it is impossible to say for certain what influenced Gibbons’ design of the Academy Award statuette, it seems likely that his exposure to the Art Deco style played a role. The sleek, streamlined form of the statuette, with its stylized figure holding a sword, is a perfect example of the Art Deco aesthetic. Despite the passing of time, the Academy Award statuette remains an enduring symbol of excellence in the film industry, and a testament to the enduring influence of the Art Deco movement.
The Art Deco movement, known for its sleek surfaces and geometric shapes, can be traced back to ancient Egypt. Interestingly, the term Art Deco was not coined until the 1960s, but in the 1920s and 1930s, it was often referred to as “Nile Style”. It was during this period that a surge in ancient-Egyptian-inspired jewelry, art, and architecture began, sparked by the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings in 1922. The tomb was discovered by British archaeologist Howard Carter and contained over 5,000 artifacts, which were cleared and categorized over the next decade. This discovery was significant as King Tut’s tomb was found intact, unlike the tombs of most other ancient pharaohs, which had been raided by graverobbers.
The worldwide media attention King Tut’s tomb and its contents received led to an increase in the popularity of ancient Egyptian art, which influenced the design of many buildings, including New York’s Chrysler Building (construction started in 1928), Empire State Building (1930), Rockefeller Center (1930), and Radio City Music Hall (1931). Interestingly, Hollywood’s Egyptian Theatre had already been in the works before the discovery of King Tut’s tomb and opened the same year.
In 1928, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was established in Hollywood to recognize and celebrate artistic achievement in the film industry. The Academy tasked Cedric Gibbons, an art director and set designer, with creating a statuette to honor winners of the awards. Gibbons, who was known for his love of ancient Egyptian art, designed the statuette in the Art Deco style, which was heavily influenced by ancient Egyptian art.
For centuries BC, Egyptians regarded Ptah, the god of artists and craftsmen, as the “creator god”. Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt, was particularly associated with Ptah. For a designer like Gibbons, looking to create a statuette celebrating artists and craftsmen, there could be no more appropriate model than Ptah. Interestingly, Ptah was often depicted alongside two other ancient deities, Osiris and Sokar, resulting in a “funerary god” known as Ptah-Sokar-Osiris, symbolizing life, death, and rebirth. The name Sokar alone bears a striking resemblance to the name Oscar, as does a merger of the names Osiris and Sokar. It is possible that Gibbons, or anyone else who recognized the resemblance between Ptah and the Academy Award statuette, might have arrived at such a nickname. While this is purely speculative, it is no less plausible than the other explanations put forth for the origin of the nickname Oscar.
It is worth noting that despite being the creator of the Academy Award, Cedric Gibbons, the legendary art director, gave very few interviews in his lifetime. From what we know, he never spoke at length about the inspiration behind his most famous creation. Interestingly, Gibbons himself was nominated for the award an astonishing 37 times, of which he won 11. However, he is rumored to have said, “I never won an Oscar I deserved or deserved an Oscar I won.” Nonetheless, if you visit cities such as Memphis and Luxor in Egypt, or browse through various museums worldwide that feature Egyptian art, you will come across numerous ancient sculptures and statues that bear a striking resemblance to the golden statuette known as Oscar.
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