This list features two sortable tables of art works on permanent public display in Boston, Massachusetts and its neighborhoods
It comprises works of public art, including sculpture, relief panels, tablets and fountains with sculptural features, accessible in an outdoor public spaces or inside state or federally owned public buildings. This does not include artwork visible inside museums or visible only on private property.
This table is not complete and most likely will not include recent installations. Please feel welcome to contribute/add these in the Additional Artworks area below.
Usage The tables' columns (except for note, Type and Image) are sortable by pressing the arrows symbols. The following gives an overview of what information is included in the table. Name: The artwork's commonly used name or name as it has been entered on its Wikipedia page (where it has one) Artist: name of the primary artist(s) or designer(s) if known. Year: variously the artwork's installation date; date of creation; or date of reinstallation at its current location Location: the street, park, intersection or plaza where the artwork is currently located Material: the main material(s) from which the artwork is constructed Dimensions: the approximate dimensions of the artwork, where known Notes: additional information, including ownership or known repairwork Image: a picture of the artwork, where available This page seeks to be an aggregate list of general facts. For information on individual sculptures, please visit the individual artwork's pages.
Artworks
City of Boston Includes: Back Bay, Boston, North End, South End, Boston Name Artist Year Location Material Dimensions Notes ImageA. Philip RandolphTina Allen1988Back Bay stationbronzeheight: The EmbraceHank Willis Thomas and MASS Design Group2023Boston Commonbronzeheight: 6.7 m (22 ft) Peabody & Stearns 1912 Post Office Square, Boston Angell Memorial Plaza terrazzo; gilded copper; steel. h. 60 ft. x W. 10 ft. Appeal to the Great Spirit 1908 Boston Museum of Fine Arts bronze sculpture: 290 cm × 250 cm × 300 cm (114" × 100" × 120") Boston Museum of Fine Arts Louisburg Square height: 1.8 m (6 ft) Army Nurses Memorial
Massachusetts State House
sculpture: 2.5 m (96")
1985 Quincy Market bronze 5 ft. x 6 ft. x 2 ft. 3 in Bagheera Fountain 1939 Boston Public Garden bronze; granite sculpture: 32" x 16" x 16" plinth: 57" high, 60" diameter. 1949, 1977 copy Boston Common bronze; granite Beacon Hill Monument 1898 rebuilt Massachusetts State House, Ashburton Park granite; slate, Bronze Boston Common Tablet 1913 Boston Common slate, granite 15 x 5 x 20 ft Boston Irish Famine Memorial 1998 Washington Street and School Street plaza Boston Massacre Monument 1889 Boston Common bronze; granite Boston Public Garden Flagpole Base 1921 Boston Public Garden bronze; granite sculpture: 6 x 4 x 4 ft plinth: 3.5 x 7 x 7 ft. Boston Women's Memorial 2003 Commonwealth Avenue Mall bronze; granite Boy and Bird Fountain 1934, recast1977, 1992 Boston Public Garden bronze Brewer Fountain 1868 Park Street and Tremont Street corner bronze; granite height: 22 ft (6.7 m) ; Frances Grimes 1910 Copley Square bronze; granite; marble 1920, relocated 1975 Back Bay Fens bronze; granite sculpture: 108" x 60"x 60" plinth: 56" x 48" x 62" 1899 Boston Public Garden bronze; granite (red beach Maine) sculpture: 8 ft. x 2 ft. 4 in. x 2 ft. 4 in. plinth: 6 ft. 6 in. x 3 ft. 8 in. x 3 ft. 8 in 1903Boston Public Garden, exterior wallbronze; granite (Milford); marblesculpture: 8 ft. 5 in. x 45 in. x 46 in. plinth: 25 ft. x 24 ft. x 86 in. Charlestown Civil War Memorial 1872 Winthrop Square Granite China Trade Gate 1988 Chinatown (Beach Street) City Carpet 1983 Old City Hall Mosaic: ceramic; bronze; stone; brick; concrete 1908 Commonwealth Avenue Mall bronze; granite 1850 Louisburg Square marble 1979 Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park marble; granite 2002 Copley Square bronze 1980 Faneuil Hall bronze 1924 Charles River Esplanade 1980-1 Cardinal Cushing Memorial Park Bronze; Granite (red) Declaration of Independence Tablet 1925 Boston Common bronze; granite 2012 North End bronze Democratic Donkey 1998 installed Old City Hall bronze 1894 Charles River Esplanade bronze; granite sculpture: 7 x 3 x 3 ft plinth: 7 x 3 x 3 ft Dolphins of the Sea 1977 New England Aquarium bronze 1959 Massachusetts State House bronze; granite Echo of the Waves 1981 New England Aquarium painted steel; Teflon coated fiberglass 1831 Charles River Esplanade granite 1936 Forsyth Park granite (white, red) 1887 Commonwealth Avenue Mall bronze; granite Ether Monument or John Quincy Adams Ward 1868 Boston Public Garden granite height: 12 m (40 ft) 1866 Richardson Park bronze; granite sculpture: 7 x 4 x 2.5 ft. plinth: 7 x 5.5 x 5.5 ft 1891 Marine Park bronze; granite 1984 Charles River Esplanade aluminum, granite ; Thomas Ball 1856 Old City Hall sculpture: 100" x 26". x 26" plinth: 111" x 90" x 90" 1930 Boston Common bronze; granite
1886 Commonwealth Avenue Mall bronze; granite (Quincy) sculpture: 7 ft. x 4 ft. x 6 ft. 4 in. plinth: 4 ft. 9 in. x 4 ft. x 6 ft. 4 in. 1875 Commonwealth Avenue Mall bronze; granite sculpture: 8 ft. x 3 ft. 6 in. x 3 ft. 6 in plinth: 6 ft. 6 in. x 5 ft. 6 in. x 5 ft. 6 in. 1984 Boston Public Garden granite (red, Dakota mahogany)
1913 Boston Public Garden bronze; granite 1865 Commonwealth Avenue Mall granite sculpture:10 ft. x 3 ft. 4 in. x 3 ft. 4 in. Harbor Fog2009Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenwaysteel; bronze; granite; LED lights ; Edward Clark Potter 1903 Massachusetts State House, Ashburton Park bronze; granite Hotel Vendome Fire Memorial ; Peter White 1997 Commonwealth Avenue Mall granite Hungarian Revolution Memorial 1986 Liberty Square Park bronze; granite; steel 1915 Massachusetts State House bronze; granite sculpture: 98" x 52" x 30" plinth: 78" x 66" x 48" Indian Hunter Museum of Fine Arts, Boston bronze; granite Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 1990Massachusetts State Housebronze; granitesculpture: 8 ft. 2 in. x 3 ft. x 18 in.
plinth: 27 x 72 x 87.5 in 1927 Boston Public Garden bronze; granite sculpture: 10 ft. x 32 in. x 27 in plinth: 6 ft. x 6 ft. x 5 ft. 7 in. Japanese Lantern 1587Boston Public Gardengranitegifted to the city by Bunkio Matsuki in 1904 1981 Boston Common granite 53 .5" x 32" x 8.25"
1932 Massachusetts State House bronze; granite sculpture: 96 x 30 x 28 1/2 in., plinth: 73 x 56 x 53 1/2 in Lotta Fountain ; J. W. Ames and E. S. Dodge 1939 Charles River Esplanade granite Make Way for Ducklings 1987 Boston Public Garden bronze 1865 Massachusetts State House bronze; granite Massachusetts Fallen Firefighters Memorial 2007 Massachusetts State House, Ashburton Park bronze; granite Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial 2004 Massachusetts State House, Ashburton Park granite 1982 Commonwealth Avenue Mall bronze; granite New England Holocaust Memorial 1995 Carmen Park glass; steel 1996 Faneuil Hall, west side granite City of Boston Oneida Football Club Monument 1925 Boston Common marble tablet: 198 cm x 76.2 cm x 17.78 cm 1896 Back Bay Fens bronze; granite 2010 TD Garden bronze 1983 South Boston waterfront aluminum
1953 Charles River Esplanade bronze; granite 1915 Boston Public Garden bronze; granite (Stony Creek pink) Poe Returning to Boston2014Boylston Street and Charles Street, Edgar Allan Poe Square 1879 Old City Hall 1885, cast 1940 Paul Revere Mall bronze; granite 2013 Boston City Hall Plaza bronze 1973 Commonwealth Avenue Mall bronze; concrete sculpture: 10 ft. x 4 ft. 1 in. x 3 ft. 3 in 1897 Beacon Street bronze; granite Small Child Fountain 1929 Boston Public Garden bronze; granite sculpture: 28" x 21" x 17" Soldiers and Sailors Monument 1877 Boston Common granite; bronze column: 126 ft plinth: 35 ft square Statler Fountain 1930 Statler Park bronze; granite 1948 Charles River Esplanade bronze; granite 1878 Boston Public Garden bronze; granite 1675 Back Bay Fens bronze, granite sculpture: 91 cm x 61 cm diameter, (36" x 24" diameter) plinth: 109 cm x 81 cm x 81 cm (43" x 32" x 32") 1966 Boston City Hall Plaza bronze sculpture:12 ft. tall and 16 ft. wide 1958 Charles River Esplanade bronze; granite 1994 Copley Square bronze Triton Babies Fountain 1922 Boston Public Garden bronze, granite 1999 South End; Harriet Tubman Park bronze 1954 Charles River Esplanade bronze; granite sculpture: 8 x 3 x 3 ft. 1869 Boston Public Garden bronze; granite sculpture: 22 x 6 x 15 ft plinth: 16 x 8 x 15 ft. 1859 Massachusetts State House bronze; granite ; Henry Bacon 1924 Boston Public Garden bronze; granite 2006 Faneuil Hall bronze 1873 First Church in Boston bronze; concrete sculpture: 7 ft. x 2 ft. 5 in. x 2 ft. 3 in. plinth: 4 ft. 6 in. x 4 ft. x 8 ft 1922 Adams Square granite sculpture: 8 x 12 x 1 ft World War II Memorial, Fenway - Kenmore 1948 Back Bay Fens bronze; granite
Boston Neighborhoods Includes: Charlestown, East Boston, and Jamaica Plain (Cambridge has its own page)
Title Artist Year Location Material Dimensions Notes ImageDeath and the Sculptor1889Jamaica Plain Forest Hills CemeterybronzeFiremen's Memorial1909Jamaica Plain Forest Hills Cemeterybronze; granite Madonna, Queen of the Universe Arrigo Minerbi 1954 East Boston bronze, copper height: 10.6 m (35 ft)
Massachusetts Korean War Memorial ; Moisey S. Altshuler 1993 Charlestown Charlestown Naval Shipyard Park bronze; granite; brick 2005East Boston Bremen Street Parkbronze; granite 1881 Charlestown, Monument Square bronze; granite (Quincy) sculpture: 8 ft. x 4 ft. x 5 ft. 10 in. plinth:74" x 64" x 70" 2009 Charlestown Green Street
granite 1857 Charlestown Monument Square 1946 Charlestown City Square Park granite height: 15 ft.
Additional Artwork Split Dodecahedron, 2012, Don Tellalian, Rose Kennedy Greenway Citgo sign, 1965, Kenmore Square Giant Milk Bottle by Arthur Gagner, 1934 “Bunker Hill Monument” by Solomon Willard, 1842, Charlestown Rainbow gas tank (untitled, but often called the “Rainbow Swash”) by Corita Kent, 1971, Dorcester Roxbury Love Mural by Ricardo "Deme5" Gomez and Thomas “Kwest” Burns, 2014, spray paint, 17 ft. x 100 ft., Roxbury. Removed 2020.
References