Public art in the City of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia includes a wide range of works across a range of genres and for a range of purposes or combination of purposes. Some are purely artistic, some are commemorative, some are both. Some are monuments or memorials; some are also fountains and some are site-specific. In some buildings, such as Australia Square and Grosvenor Place by Harry Seidler as well as Aurora Place by Renzo Piano, the art is a component of the architect's intentions. Occasionally, works are removed or repositioned. The City of Sydney has a Public Art Policy and conservation work is carried on from time to time to maintain the works.
The materials used vary widely but include traditional marble (such as in Touchstone) and bronze (such as in the Archibald Fountain) as well as steel (such as in New Constellation and I Stay), concrete (such as in I Wish and Barrel Roll) and newer materials like aluminium (such as in Vine and Morpho). In the 21st century, kinetic, musical, and conceptual works began to appear.
Notable sculptors from around the world are represented in works on public display in Sydney. For example, Bertram Mackennal and Bronwyn Oliver were Australian; Gilbert Bayes and Henry Moore were British; François-Léon Sicard and Henri Alfred Jacquemart were French; Alexander Calder and Jenny Holzer are American; Kan Yasuda and Jun'ya Ishigami are Japanese.
Some memorials (such as the Levy Drinking Fountain) are in the form of a fountain; others (such as William Dalley) are in the form of a portrait statue. The Lawson Memorial commemorates a writer; John Christie Wright Memorial Fountain commemorates a sculptor; the Dobell Memorial commemorates a painter, the Morshead Fountain commemorates a soldier; Il Porcellino commemorates surgeons. As well as memorials to individuals or groups, matters of importance to Sydney such as navigation and the environment are also commemorated. The bronze portraits of James Cook, Arthur Phillip and Matthew Flinders also pay tribute to their skills in exploration and navigation.
Recurring themes include flora, children and classical or abstract allusion. Local flora is represented by sculptures such as Veil of Trees, Edge of the Trees and Into the Trees II. Busby's Bore takes water as its subject; indigenous fauna is interpreted in Dancing Brolgas and domesticated animals in Trim, Islay and Mare and Foal. The lives and importance of children are acknowledged in the Tank Stream Fountain, Windlines, Youngsters and the memorial to Hans Christian Andersen. Some (such as The Offerings of Peace and The Offerings of War) employ classical references to convey an abstract meaning; others (such as Research) use abstracted forms to convey an idea.
Scope The list below is of works whose purpose is at least partly artistic and located in the New South Wales local government area of the City of Sydney. Outside the scope of this list are objects and installations that are: located in the suburbs of Greater Sydney; primarily water features, such as the fountains in Martin Place and in the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House; purely memorial objects such as the obelisk of botanist Allan Cunningham in the Royal Botanic Garden; and temporary exhibitions containing sculptures for sale such as those displayed in the annual Sculpture by the Sea exhibition or other public spaces like Barangaroo. The list is ordered chronologically and reveals how art has moved from the "pedagogical: kings, generals, prophets and heroes on pedestals, striking poses that were supposed to demonstrate power, nobility and citizenship" to "something ... that brings a site to life, triggers engagement, prompts discussion and reflection''.
Nineteenth century Commissions for sculpture came from three main sources: the Church, the State and the private sponsor. In the later part of the nineteenth century, there was "an active artistic relationship between Australia and Britain". YearImageTitleArtist/sLocationNotes and references1842Governor Bourke Edward Hodges BailyOutside the State Library of New South WalesStatue of Governor Richard Bourke, in his Lieutenant-General's uniform, unveiled on 11 April 1842 after a grand ceremonial procession. For the event, the banks and "nearly all the mercantile institutions and respectable shops were closed." Conrad Martens did a painting in oils of the statue and Sydney Harbour in 1842. The painting is now in the collections of the Mitchell Library.1850Our Lady and the child JesusDom Eugene Gourbeillon (OSB)St Mary's CathedralThe sculptor was also a Benedictine priest stationed in Sydney. The statue was removed in 1912 and replaced in 2008.1857Hyde Park Obelisk (Wikidata)Hyde ParkA heritage-listed, 22m tall, sandstone obelisk that served as a sewer vent and is now a monument. Designed and built by the NSW Department of Public Works in Victorian Egyptian style, it was modelled on Cleopatra's Needle on the banks of London's River Thames. Located in Hyde Park at the intersection of Elizabeth Street and Bathurst Street.1866Albert the Good (Wikidata)William TheedMacquarie StreetStatue of Prince Albert, represented wearing the full robes and insignia of a Knight of the Garter and holding a field-marshall's baton. Originally placed in Hyde Park. He is positioned looking across Macquarie Street at Boehm's statue of his Queen.1870Choragic MonumentWalter McGillRoyal Botanic GardenA smaller copy in Sydney sandstone of the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates in Athens, built in 335 or 334 BC. Originally in the garden of Sir James Martin (1820–1886), it was moved to the Royal Botanic Garden in 1943.1878Captain CookThomas WoolnerHyde Park South, 120 Elizabeth StreetA monument to the celebrated explorer James Cook. Woolner wrote: "My idea is, ... to make an animated figure filled with wonder and delight, in the moment of discovering a new country; smitten by the sun, he would always stand a shining welcome to all comers to the fair Australian land."1879Huntsman and DogsHenri Alfred JacquemartRoyal Botanic GardenOne of two copies of an original which stood near the Garden Palace when it burned down in 1882. The copies were cast in imitation bronze.Venus FountainRoyal Botanic Garden The original was erected prior to 1880. In 1990 it was removed and a bronze cast made of it; the replacement was erected in the same location in 1994.1883Thomas Sutcliffe MortPierce ConnollyMacquarie PlaceMonument to Australian industrialist Thomas Sutcliffe Mort, who was responsible among other things, for Mort's Dock at Balmain.La BallarinaCharles Francis SummersRoyal Botanic Garden A copy of a famous work by Antonio Canova, one of eight brought from Italy in 1883 and put back in the Garden in 2009 after vandalisation and restoration by master mason, Jacek Luszcyk. The restored statue was unveiled in July 2009.Autumn and
WinterRoyal Botanic GardenTwo of four neoclassical sculptures representing The Four Seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. Both "Spring" and "Summer" had been decapitated and Summer's head had been lost. As well, various pieces were missing. The works were restored and re-placed in the Garden.Boy removing thornCopy of ancient originalRoyal Botanic GardenOne of many sculptural variants in marble and bronze of the Greco-Roman Boy with Thorn.1887The BoxersCharles Francis Summers
(Copy of a work by Antonio Canova)Royal Botanic GardenThe subject is two famous boxers of 400 BC. The original Canova is in the Vatican Museums. Most of the classic marble figures in the Botanic Garden, including "The Boxers" were copied from plaster models made by Charles Francis Summers (son and pupil of Charles Summers). Summers, whose "forte is the ideal", was known for copies from the antique. During a residence in Rome of 30 years he had been granted access by the Vatican authorities, and possessed "some exceedingly valuable casts."
The colony at the time, "unfortunately", wrote a contemporary critic, had no example of Canova's grace. Comparing "The Boxers" unfavourably with another classical copy ("The Quoit-thrower") he said that "The 'Boxers" are "two actors from the Théâtre Français in an attitude with their clothes off." Nonetheless, he concluded that "We must not deny their excellence, however, in their own particular style."1888Victoria (Wikidata)Joseph Edgar BoehmQueen's SquareUnveiled in the Centennial year of 1888, Boehm's monument to Queen Victoria can be seen in position near Hyde Park in early 20th century photographs.Image from the Powerhouse Collection of the statue in place in c.1900 The Queen, dressed in brocade, wears the crown, her left hand holds the orb and cross, her right hand points the sceptre to the earth.1889Levy Drinking FountainCharles Bell BirchRoyal Botanic GardenOne of the few remaining large public drinking fountains in Sydney. A young girl stands with reeds, herons and frogs. Art Nouveau in style and "...is an important example of aestheticism in Sydney". It is made from polished red and white granite; the figure is bronze. Gifted to the memory of Lewis Wolfe Levy (1815–1885) by his family.1890sAustralian explorersVariousLands Department building, Bridge Street facadeThe building's architect – James Barnet – placed naturalistic statues in its niches. On the Bridge Street elevation are Australian explorers, to "convey the story of the opening up of the land in the colony". Among them is a representation of John Oxley, by William Priestly MacIntosh, which was the last statue to be installed in its niche. Also featured on this elevation are Ludwig Leichhardt, Thomas Mitchell, Robert O'Hara Burke and William Hovell (by MacIntosh); and George Bass (by James White). 1890John Dunmore LangGiovanni FontanaWynyard ParkBronze memorial to John Dunmore Lang, founder of the Presbyterian Church in Australia, unveiled 26 January 1891 by his widow in the presence of Sir John Robertson, Sir Henry Parkes and the Earl of Jersey, among many others.Photo of the Dunmore Lang statue dominating Wynyard Park in the 1930s State Library of New South Wales (ON2/47)1891Mare and FoalArthur le DucRoyal Botanic GardenPurchased by the Art Gallery of New South Wales and donated to the Garden in 1958.c1893Allan CunninghamTomaso SaniLands BuildingPortrait of botanist Allan Cunningham, depicted with his hand resting on a column of waratahs. One of a series of sandstone sculptures in the niches of the facades of Lands Building. They are all of a uniform size – 200 cm x 60 x 50 (9 ft 6 ins tall). They were cleaned and refurbished in 1979/80 by the Public Works Department.1897William Bede DalleyJames WhiteHyde ParkBronze over life-size likeness of William Bede Dalley, whose unveiling on Easter Tuesday 1897 was reportedly attended by 10,000 people. A critic wrote that the sculptor "was cruelly handicapped by the stumpy figure and square-jawed face of his subject (however beloved and talented – and he was both!) ..."The Governor Phillip Fountain and statueAchille SimonettiRoyal Botanic Garden Full length statue of the first governor of New South Wales atop a marble column around which are various figures both allegorical (e.g. Justice, Commerce) and mythical (e.g. Neptune, Cyclops). Commissioned by State Premier Henry Parkes during the 1888 Centennial celebrations and unveiled by Lord Hampden for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.1898Guardian Genius of the CityWilliam Priestly MacIntoshQueen Victoria BuildingOne of a pair of architectural sculptures for the new Queen Victoria Markets building. Tenders were called and MacIntosh was awarded the commission.1899Guardian Genius of CivilisationWilliam Priestly MacIntoshQueen Victoria Building