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Public art
Public Art Fund
Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial
6 February 2026

Artemisia Gentileschi, Michelangelo and Rembrandt bring new energy and records to New York's Old Masters sales

The week's sales also saw a near-record for a Canaletto painting and a seven-figure result for a 15th-century Hebrew illuminated manuscript

Carlie Porterfield
6 February 2026

Van Gogh’s ‘triple painting’ revealed by discoveries beneath the surface

The newly conserved “Poplars near Nuenen” goes on show in Rotterdam

Martin Bailey
6 February 2026

Fourth Lahore Biennale, to take place during 80th anniversary of Partition, will explore cross-border connectivity

The Pakistan-based festival has announced the curator of its next edition, opening in January 2027

Cyrus Naji
6 February 2026

Renowned Mexican art collection to be managed by Spanish bank

Banco Santander will take charge of 160 iconic works, including 18 by Frida Kahlo, from the Gelman Collection of 20th-century Mexican art

Constanza Ontiveros Valdés
5 February 2026

Saudi Arabia looks to its Modern art history as the art world eyes up the Gulf

With the inaugural Art Basel opening in Qatar, and with Frieze in Abu Dhabi later this year, the Kingdom is looking to the past with its exhibitions and auctions

Anny Shaw
5 February 2026

Lawrence Abu Hamdan and Lydia Ourahmane among artists confirmed for new Qatar quadrennial

The headline exhibition Unruly Waters will chart Qatar’s “past and present role as a geopolitical hub”

Gareth Harris
5 February 2026

Mexico City's art scene gravitates to Santa María la Ribera neighbourhood

The area is home to a growing number of artists’ studios and exhibition spaces, but for many affordability is already a looming concern

Frida Juárez
4 February 2026

Stephen Friedman Gallery goes into administration after 30 years

Both London and New York spaces are now shut

Anny Shaw
4 February 2026

What the US’s removal of Nicolás Maduro means for Venezuela’s heritage

Longstanding preservation challenges are likely to be exacerbated by the current political instability

Hadani Ditmars
4 February 2026

'Still young and going strong': Berlin's pioneering contemporary art space Hamburger Bahnhof turns 30

Born out of the merger of East and West Germany's collections, the institution, which propelled the careers of Anne Imhof and Tomás Saraceno among many others, is celebrating its birthday with a year-long programme of events and a star-studded gala

Philippe Regnier
4 February 2026

Open letter calls for ousting of Art Gallery of Ontario trustee who led vote against Nan Goldin acquisition

The institution will also overhaul its committee structure in response to the scandal

Hadani Ditmars
18 November 2024

New public art partnership will link New York and Toronto

The forthcoming Lassonde Art Trail is teaming up with both the Public Art Fund and York University’s L.L. Odette Sculptor in Residence programme

Larry Humber
28 November 2025

Exposed to the elements, public—and geese: the complex conservation of outdoor art

The long-term maintenance of public art raises questions about funding and who is responsible

Annabel Keenan
2 June 2023

Phyllida Barlow's final, irreverent public art project takes form in New York

At the time of her death in March, the British sculptor had been working on a major Public Art Fund exhibition

Hilarie M. Sheets
31 July 2020

Public art initiative encourages New Yorkers to get outside as museums remain closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic

The campaign offers a digital map of public art works and exhibitions in the five boroughs

Gabriella Angeleti
15 December 2022

After sudden dismissal of all its members, Pittsburgh mayor moves to overhaul the city's public art commission

The city's mayor, Ed Gainey, has proposed a series of sweeping changes to the way public art is funded and commissioned there

Torey Akers
4 June 2018

Massive Kickstarter campaign launched for 'largest-ever public art project in US' with billboards across all 50 states

Non-partisan platform For Freedoms has signed up over 200 institutions for the initiative, which aims to make art part of the public discourse

Victoria Stapley-Brown
8 December 2020

Miami Beach public votes to acquire Sanford Biggers quilt for public art collection

The city bought the piece from the local dealer David Castillo’s virtual Art Basel in Miami Beach display as part of its Legacy Purchase Program

Wallace Ludel
4 December 2020

Contemporary public art: who is it for?

Plus, Tom Sachs on Mondrian's Broadway Boogie-Woogie

Hosted by Ben Luke and Helen Stoilas. Produced by Julia Michalska, David. Clack and Aimee Dawson
2 February 2017

Public Art Fund to light up New York

The organisation celebrates its big 4-0 with a series of new commissions

By Gabriella Angeleti
20 July 2022

Charles Gaines unearths America’s deep colonial roots in an expansive serial public art project

The conceptual artist’s first public project will unfold across three locations over the next two years—beginning in Times Square in New York

Jillian Billard
20 October 2023

Eight US cities receive $1m grants for public art projects tackling climate change, homelessness and more

The third edition of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Public Arts Challenge is supporting projects across the country, from Honolulu to Philadelphia

Theo Belci
11 May 2015

North Korea's dubious gifts to African public art

15 May 2015

Dive into London’s latest public art commission

Freshwater swimming pool by Marjetica Potrč and design duo Ooze opens in King’s Cross

Hannah McGivern
8 July 2024

New beginnings for public art programme at Newfields

More than a decade after it opened, the art and nature park at the Indianapolis institution has $3m in new funding and its first new show

Benjamin Sutton
29 August 2025

Florida’s rainbow crosswalks and other public art ordered removed

While Miami Beach fights to keep its famous rainbow crosswalk on Ocean Drive, the one in front of the gay nightclub Pulse in Orlando—the site of a 2016 mass shooting—has been painted over

Carolina Ana Drake
30 June 2019

Red Regatta: public art sets sail across Venice lagoon

Artist Melissa McGill teams up with Venetian sailors to celebrate maritime tradition in face of mass tourism and climate change

Hannah McGivern
9 December 2017

In pictures: Art Basel in Miami Beach Public sector

Artists claim their turf in Miami Beach

Helen Stoilas
23 July 2024

New public art projects to coincide with Democratic National Convention

Next Stop: Chicago will focus on infrastructure inequality after Covid

Elena Goukassian
11 September 2023

US public art project seeks to combat rising antisemitism

The latest billboard campaign by For Freedoms follows an alarming rise in attacks and threats against Jewish people and sites

Claire Voon
28 June 2023

New Istanbul culture hub seeks to make art more public

ArtIstanbul Feshane opens in an expansive 19th-century military factory to reach more of the city’s 16 million inhabitants

Ayla Jean Yackley
20 February 2017

JR's giant public art gets first show in Middle East

Video and photographic documentation of French artist's site-specific work will be on show at Doha's QM Gallery Katara

By Aimee Dawson
30 April 2015

Mayor commissions new public art for London in regeneration plans

Ten new works for parts of the city thanks to High Street Fund initiated after 2011 riots<br>

Anny Shaw
9 February 2024

Preserving Banksy: public art database to document the UK’s murals

The project, backed by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, will also capture many of Northern Ireland's politically charged street art works

Gareth Harris
20 November 2018

Public art grant goes to US city affected by school shooting

Bloomberg Philanthropies directs $1m to a Florida community for “collective healing” through art

Nancy Kenney
1 June 2023

Checkmate for public art installation of giant game pieces in Philadelphia

“Your Move”, a sculptural installation in central Philadelphia, will be permanently removed after it was deemed too costly to maintain

Benjamin Sutton
20 May 2021

Bosco Sodi brings a hopeful, reflective public art performance to Manhattan

The work invites members of the public to bring home and plant one of 439 small clay spheres, each with seeds inside

Daniel Cassady
30 November 2023

Augmented reality project puts monumental public art at New Yorkers’ fingertips

Digital art platform Kinfolk has launched a four-artist exhibition that is available to view at designated sites through their application

Osman Can Yerebakan
10 January 2019

Missing in action: African-American art in European public collections

The market for work by African American artists is on the rise but museums are falling behind

Ben Luke
18 December 2025

Public art installation marks anniversary of New Orleans terrorist attack

Featuring more than 800 flags commemorating the 15 victims, the temporary installation “Second Line in the Sky” offers locals and visitors alike a space to reflect and heal

Annabel Keenan
22 July 2024

$11m worth of public art at the LA Clippers' new arena

Charles Gaines, Refik Anadol, Glenn Kaino and four other renowned artists with local connections were chosen to create some monumental works in Inglewood

Scarlet Cheng
9 June 2023

Oil giant Chevron removed public art installation without warning, artists allege

The energy giant did not inform the associated artists of their plans to remove a piece of art that advocate for environmental justice, according to organisers

Torey Akers
7 May 2025

In pictures: Frieze week public art puts Manhattan in the pink

From Lily Kwong's installation in Madison Square Park to John Chamberlain's follies at the Rockefeller Center, works are catching the eye across the borough

Benjamin Sutton
1 November 2019

From the archive | ‘Public art is propaganda, frankly’: Hank Willis Thomas discusses gun violence and the urgent need for alternative memorials

A host of the artist’s exhibitions and public projects open in various locations across the US open this year

Charmaine Picard
19 November 2021

Mass public art programme kicks off in Doha before Fifa World Cup

Works by Tom Claassen, Bruce Nauman and Isa Genzken are among the first of the initiative’s 40 sculptures to be installed

Gareth Harris
5 May 2021

The 'world’s largest public art fair' opens today in New York

The Art Newspaper
23 June 2015

Bloomberg Philanthropies gives four US cities up to $1m for public art

The former New York mayor’s charity is funding projects across the country

Richelle Simon
16 April 2024

Thomas Heatherwick’s controversial Vessel public art piece in New York to reopen

The 150ft-tall, $200m outdoor installation at Manhattan’s Hudson Yards development has been closed since 2021 following a series of suicides

Benjamin Sutton
4 July 2017

Cass Sculpture Foundation to commission public art for Battersea Power Station district

Southbank Centre chief Jude Kelly is advising on new riverside residential and commercial development

By Gareth Harris
2 August 2016

Public art cancelled in Rio due to cultural budget cuts

An installation by the Italian artist Giancarlo Neri is the most recent project to lose funding during Brazil's economic crisis

Gabriella Angeleti
9 July 2024

A storied public art collection in California makes space for emerging artists

The Stuart Collection at the University of California San Diego is launching an emerging artist programme with a trio of new commissions

Hilarie M. Sheets
8 October 2015

New art prize and public garden to mark Hepworth Wakefield’s fifth birthday

The collector David Roberts is backing the £30,000 biennial award for contributions to sculpture

Gareth Harris
3 November 2017

Cornelius Gurlitt’s art hoard finally gets first public showing

Organisers hope two shows will lead to restitution claims from victims of Nazi persecution

Catherine Hickley
15 June 2021

Vancouver residents launch petition to block Boy Holding a Shark public art ‘monstrosity’

Locals cite concerns about property values, obstructed views of nature and the ethnicity of the artist, but Vancouver Biennial organisers say the work will act as a warning beacon for ocean conservation

Hadani Ditmars
16 May 2023

Artists paid less than £3 an hour for public art commissions, report finds

The Structurally F–cked survey looked at artists' pay and conditions, and found a "culture of low fees, unpaid labour, and systemic exploitation"

Scott Reyburn
30 March 2016

British artist Idris Khan wins major public art commission in the Middle East

Monument will be created for the new Memorial Park in Abu Dhabi

Gareth Harris
2 July 2018

Ten public art works to see for free around New York this summer

When the sun’s out, get your buns—and other extremities—out to catch some of these projects across the city

Ivy Olesen and Victoria Stapley-Brown
10 January 2017

Strikes, closures and public gatherings: the art world gears up for Trump’s inauguration

More than 80 leading artists and critics have called for museums and galleries to close on 20 January

By Anny Shaw
7 December 2019

First section of Miami’s $100m Underline public art park to open in summer 2020

The ten-mile project will transform a track of land under the Miami Metrorail into a public recreation area

Vanessa Thill
25 November 2019

Public Art Fund adds four new members to its board, including artist Ai Weiwei

Ellen Celli, Andrea Krantz, and Ruthard Murphy also join the nonprofit to help bring more free arts programming to New York City

Zachary Small
31 May 2017

Have bike, will empower: Tania Bruguera launches public art initiative CycleNews in Corona

For the project, women will hit the streets of Queens on bicycles to inform the immigrant-rich community of their rights and helpful government services

By Gabriella Angeleti
5 December 2023

Sky's the limit in public art project in solidarity with Miami's drag queens

As Florida Governor Ron DeSantis cracks down on their public visibility, local celebrities from Fantasia Royale Gaga to Persephone Von Lips are celebrated in banner form above Española Way

Elena Goukassian
5 April 2016

Wikimedia Sweden found guilty of violating copyright with database of images of public art

Decision by Supreme Court could have implications for other jurisdictions, legal experts say

Anny Shaw
25 June 2021

A ghost forest and a predator: New York public art grows a conscience

New sculptures in the city by Maya Lin and Sam Durant are not just pretty

Linda Yablonsky
9 August 2017

First public art works for Battersea Power Station site selected

Jesse Wine and Haffendi Anuar awarded the inaugural Powerhouse Commission by Cass Sculpture Foundation

By Gareth Harris
13 June 2020

Carrie Mae Weems launches new public-facing art initiative to resist Covid-19

Syracuse street art explores why pandemic has disproportionately impacted non-white communities

Tom Seymour
21 July 2023

The Buffalo AKG Art Museum’s $230m transformation privileges its public and permanent collection

A decades-long process resulted in an ambitious reorientation of the museum’s campus around people and art

Benjamin Sutton
2 December 2021

Miami Beach residents vote to acquire Farah Al Qasimi works for public art collection

As part of its Legacy Purchase Program, the city purchased two photographs and a wallpaper from the artist’s solo booth with Helena Anrather’s at Art Basel in Miami Beach

Benjamin Sutton
25 July 2025

Rethinking public art and remembering Koyo Kouoh: inside the Experimenter Curator's Hub 2025

The 14th edition of the Kolkata forum invited leading curators from across the world to debate key issues in the field

Anindo Sen
13 June 2023

Six must-see works in Art Basel's free-to-see public art programme

This year's Parcours sector reveals—to both visitors and locals—some of the Swiss city's hidden gems

Chinma Johnson-Nwosu
3 July 2023

New Orleans Museum of Art faces public outcry for hiring white curator of African art

The museum is facing heated critique on social media over the appointment of Amanda Maples, a white woman, to oversee its African art collection

Torey Akers
21 September 2023

Restored Turkish bath reopens to the public as site for art and respite

The Zeyrek Çinili Hamam, which will open in Istanbul in September after a 13-year restoration and excavation, will operate once again as a traditional Turkish bath and also as a contemporary art space

Tom Seymour
20 December 2016

Underground art: the public works that are part of New York’s $100bn infrastructure plan

At MoMA, governor Andrew Cuomo outlined the state’s projects, including pieces by Sarah Sze, Chuck Close and Vik Muniz

Pac Pobric
23 February 2024

Florence’s new open storage facility is bringing long-hidden art into public view

The Florentine Civic Museums’ depository is part of a trend that is seeing institutions find ways of making more use of their archives

Joanna Moorhead
20 May 2025

Boston Public Art Triennial launches with more than a dozen projects across the city

Works at the inaugural triennial entreat locals and visitors alike to imagine new ways of understanding our world

Kimberly Hatfield
30 August 2018

London's National Portrait Gallery’s contemporary art programme resonates more with the art world than the public

Though not as dire as first thought, visitor figures for the museum's contemporary shows have still been poor

Ben Luke
10 April 2024

Alumni’s $10m gift to Carnegie Mellon University will support public art and revamped ICA Pittsburgh

The donors, Tod and Cindy Johnson, met and got married during their time at CMU; they will have a gallery named in their honour

Benjamin Sutton
5 March 2021

Remembering Alan Bowness, Tate director who helped change public attitudes to contemporary art

His successor at the London institution pays personal tribute to the persuasive and effective British curator, writer and critic

Nicholas Serota
25 February 2025

Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial launches second phase with nine new installations throughout the emirate

The first edition of the exhibition brings work by over 70 artists to the streets of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain

In partnership with Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi
21 June 2022

Art Gallery of Ontario unveils its first public art commission, an elephantine bronze by Brian Jungen

The massive sculpture, five years in the making, depicts a tragic circus elephant recreated out of trashed leather furniture

Larry Humber
12 August 2022

An Indian artist on staging a public art project across the Indo-Pakistan border

New Delhi-based Manisha Gera Baswani discusses her ongoing series Postcards from Home that photographs fellow artists in both countries

Manisha Gera Baswani
14 January 2020

Living refugees of civil war honoured in New York public art project by Krzysztof Wodiczko

The artist hopes to transform an existing monument with contemporary experiences so there will be “no more need for new war memorials”

Wallace Ludel
10 October 2022

UK government art collection—containing some 15,000 works—finally gets its first public display space

The London viewing gallery will open next year

Martin Bailey
15 June 2016

Kids commission the darnedest things: New York high-schoolers choose public art for Long Island City

Brooklyn-based artist Mika Tajima work looks like a hot tub with plumes of coloured vapour that change hues based on the fluctuating price of gold

Julia Halperin
1 March 2024

‘Largest Black public art project in the US’ to launch in Los Angeles this spring

Conceived as an outdoor museum, with murals and sculptures by artists both world-renowned and locally beloved, Destination Crenshaw aims to preserve a close-knit community

Scarlet Cheng
16 May 2023

From Harlem to Brooklyn: public art to see for free in New York this spring

The city's streets and parks are blossoming with sculptures

Benjamin Sutton
11 August 2022

Feminist artist Suzanne Lacy on the possibilities of activism and public service in the art world

The artist’s current survey at the Queens Museum in New York revisits major milestones of her practice

Janelle Zara
7 May 2017

Madison Square Park to turn into a ‘utopia’ of public art and performance this summer

Artist Josiah McElheny is partnering with musicians, dancers and poets for the project Prismatic Park

By Gabriella Angeleti
1 December 2022

Miami Beach public votes to acquire installation by Cuban artist Juana Valdés from Art Basel fair

Valdés's work will join pieces by Amoako Boafo, Sanford Biggers and others on long-term public display

Gabriella Angeleti
1 November 2023

Public art tribute planned for codebreaker Alan Turing as AI summit opens in the UK

Funding for the selected work will come from the government's Town Fund, designed to level up regions outside London

Gareth Harris
25 May 2019

President Macron’s former public relations chief heads up François Pinault’s art empire

Opera expert Sylvain Fort will oversee the billionaire’s museums in Venice and Paris

Gareth Harris
1 September 2015

Collective behind Rain Room to create public art piece on the Thames

Random International are working on a large-scale outdoor installation at Nine Elms

Gareth Harris
21 January 2022

Power to the people: London’s new public art gives a glimmer of hope in gloomy times

A colourful playground, giant vegetable sculptures and an elegant etched glass installation have all brightened up the capital this year

Louisa Buck
30 June 2010

Restored 18th century parlour from Connecticut open for public viewing at Yale University Art Gallery

Yale prepares for the 2012 installation of its decorative arts galleries by reconstructing a period room

Martha Lufkin
30 January 2024

When Sister Rosetta met Marsha P. Johnson: public art piece in London reimagines Leonardo’s Last Supper

Tavares Strachan’s monument is included in major colonialism survey at the Royal Academy

Gareth Harris
24 March 2018

Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro to sell Brazil’s only Pollock on public view

The museum says the move is necessary for its long-term survival, while others protest the decision as “absurd”

Gabriella Angeleti
9 March 2021

Six artists—including Nicole Eisenman and Ibrahim Mahama—shortlisted for Trafalgar Square's Fourth Plinth public art commission

Winning sculptures will go on show in central London in 2022 and 2024

Gareth Harris
14 June 2022

Beyond Basel's convention centre: the best public art to see (for free) during the fair

Art Basel's Parcours section places installations across the Swiss city’s Old Town

Lee Cheshire
31 March 1997

Britain’s National Art Library is full so V&A library may occupy the old Public Record Office

The curators are reluctant, but a move seems unavoidable

Martin Bailey
23 June 2017

Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay to become one of the world’s largest public art parks

Ambitious 20-year, $50m redevelopment plan includes a raft of art projects, from large-scale sculptures to performance

By Gareth Harris
2 August 2023

'Controversy at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in Delhi raises important questions over private museums in public life'

The firing of a curator for making critical statements against the museum's founder has prompted a long-overdue debate within the art world

Sabih Ahmed
4 July 2023

Public art display in Liverpool hospital marks 75th anniversary of UK's National Health Service

Historic England is also funding two projects in Bristol and London

Gareth Harris
25 January 2021

Mobile portraits of American life roll in to three US cities through PBS public art initiative

The roving works, by Rick Lowe, Swoon and Carlos Ramirez, take over repurposed vehicles

Gabriella Angeleti
3 July 2020

Art can help the public engage in personal advocacy: Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign

The nation's largest LGBTQ civil rights organisation recently unveiled an incisive installation by Hank Willis Thomas on its Washington, DC headquarters

Hilarie M. Sheets
16 October 2019

New York public officials threaten funding cuts for art storage company UOVO due to anti-union efforts

A letter sent to the company's leadership yesterday outlines “aggressive and coercive tactics” used against employees after they attempted to unionise last month

Wallace Ludel
20 October 2020

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge launch public art exhibition showing portraits of a nation in lockdown

Louisa Buck
3 October 2018

Public art advocates—and the artist himself—speak out against sale of Chicago library’s Kerry James Marshall mural

The work, commissioned in the 1990s for $10,000, is due to be sold at Christie’s, New York for an estimated $10m to $15m

Ruth Lopez
11 August 2021

Queen Victoria statue defrocked after ex-politician Nigel Farage blasts public art project addressing UK’s slavery history

Right-wing commentator says he is "tired of this endless conversation about the UK's complicity with slavery"

Gareth Harris
20 May 2022

At Frieze New York, Charles Gaines puts gains toward ambitious public art project

Editions of the artist's print based on a Frederick Douglass speech are raising funds for a forthcoming Creative Time project on Governor's Island

Helen Stoilas
3 September 2025

From the streets to the parks and beyond: the pick of this season's public art in New York

This season’s bounty of outdoor art includes bronze gates near City Hall, a layered sound installation in Brooklyn Bridge Park and a mural honouring graffiti history at MoMA PS1

Benjamin Sutton
5 February 2021

Art library and archives at London's Wallace Collection could close to public as part of cost-cutting plans

Petition against the move claims that management want to ‘orientate the museum to income generation’

Gareth Harris
27 June 2022

From Whitechapel to Saudi Arabia: Iwona Blazwick takes up a new post as AlUla public art supremo

Drive to rebrand Middle Eastern country as a cultural destination underpinned by human rights concerns

Gareth Harris
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