public art

Any work of visual art produced for and owned by the community. It is usually designed for display in an open public space, and intended to be part of a community's social life. The term came into use in the 1970s, although the tradition dates back to prehistoric cave painting, and includes religious works and public memorials throughout the ages. Murals are often designed to cheer up depressed parts of a city and have sometimes involved collaboration between local people and professional artists. Public art of this kind is found in many cities of the USA and in several European countries. Funding of such schemes has often been informal, with materials donated by well-wishers, but in the 1980s it became more common for local government and other official sources to provide funding.

Public art radically changed with the development of modern art. In their search for new approaches to art, modern artists did not always find that their abstract sculptures were appreciated by the general public. Because public art is on show for all to see, it often causes some degree of controversy.