Public art: the pages of history. Public sculpture in post-war Britain

Abstract

The public art is one of the most important components of modern sculpture, focused on the direct interaction with the audience in an open environment. The history of public art begins in 1940, when after the Second World War renovation of urban spaces in Western Europe and the U. S. began. The most notable examples of the post-war public art projects include works by British sculptors. After 1945 the British sculpture has been rapidly gaining the status of art and been guided by the general public interpretation. In 1951 in London there was a competition to create a monument to Unknown political prisoner. Due to an
unprecedented number of participants and the wide publicity it became one of the milestones in the promotion of contemporary sculpture. By the 1960s public art was a status symbol of major corporations and office buildings by working out such forms, as an American plaza art. Having not gained any specific role or at least developed some specific forms up to the beginning of the 1960s, public art was mainly determined not by the society, but a customer.

Keywords:

public art, public sculpture, modern sculpture, British sculpture, Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Reg Butler