Art for the city

History of public art

Art has always played a key role in public spaces. Historically, it has received significant support from patrons, religious and secular institutions, and city councils. Monuments and memorials on granite pedestals were also included as public art in the past.

“In the period from the Czech National Revival to the First World War, the public became part of the process, by collecting donations and establishing foundations and associations for the constructions of monuments. Between the two World Wars, public art was created on public buildings and livened up city streets and parks,” the project organisers explain the history behind public art.

Present

However, public art has not recently received as much support as in the past. With only a few recent high-quality and innovative works of public and site-specific art, Prague is in artistic debt towards both the public and the artist compared to other major cities.

Programme objectives

The city of Prague would like to support new public art. In the future, the city will be filled with high-quality and original art, which will be suitable for its surroundings. The ‘Art for the City’ project aims to select and support the best contemporary art, and offer comparisons between historic and contemporary visual art.

The programme will also offer professional counselling and theoretical assistance to interested artists.