8 of the Coolest Public Artworks That Can’t Be Confined to a Museum
May 10, 2019
Having access to art museums and other cultural institutions is one of the things that makes city living *the best.* But what if we told you that you didn’t have to go to a museum to see world-famous works by the likes of Anish Kapoor and Claes Oldenburg? That you could see them 24/7…and totally gratis?
Around the world, these public artworks are keeping our cities vibrant and making masterpieces available to all. There’s nothing not to like about that. (Unless it’s raining, that is. Museums don’t have to worry about that problem.)
MILLENNIUM PARK, CHICAGO: Thanks to iconic pieces like Picasso's Daley Plaza sculpture, Chicago has long been famed for its public artworks. So when Millennium Park opened in 2004, it only further cemented Chi-Town's rep as one of the world's artiest cities. Works like the Crown Fountain—the one where huge video images "spit" into a pool—are always eye-catching, though Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate (you probably know it as "The Bean") is definitely the Park's MVP.
DIGITAL ORCA, VANCOUVER: Going whale watching in Vancouver? If you're lucky, you'll spot a pod of orcas. But we guarantee that most of them won't look like this one. Created by novelist and artist Douglas Coupland, this Digital Orca resembles a pixelated on-screen image brought to life. Good luck seeing this guy out in nature.
Image courtesy of the Vancouver Convention Centre
GUNDAM ROBOT, TOKYO: Leave it to the land of skyscraper-sized lizards to create this monolithic robot—the largest of its kind in the world. Located in Odaiba, Gundam Robot looks like a cross between Buzz Lightyear and the Iron Giant—and its eyes glow at night. We might not stand in its path, if we were you.
Image courtesy of Shuichi Aizawa/Flickr
PHILADELPHIA MURAL ARTS PROGRAM: While we could try and pick our favorite mural in all of Philadelphia, that's just too difficult a task. Thanks to the city's phenomenal mural arts program, there are, after all, more than 3,600 around town, making it the world's largest outdoor public art collection. Don't know quite where to begin? Don't worry—there are tours on offer.
Image courtesy of Steve Weinik
MINNEAPOLIS SCULPTURE GARDEN: If you think one sculpture is cool, try a whole garden full of them. No wonder the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is called "one of the jewels of the city's park system." And while it's being renovated later this year, don't miss the chance to visit this spring: the garden is still a must-visit, thanks to works like the world-famous Spoonbridge and Cherry by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen.
Image courtesy of Meet Minneapolis
VIGELAND PARK, OSLO: Speaking of massive sculpture gardens: it doesn't get much more impressive than Oslo's Vigeland Park, which is the world's largest sculpture park made by a sole artist. While non-Norwegians may not be as familiar with Gustav Vigeland's works, the Nordic sculptor's inviting and jubilant pieces offer up a beautiful exploration of the human form. As the park is filled with more than 200 of his works, it won't take long before you're an expert in his oeuvre.
Image courtesy of Ian Cochrane/Flickr
BABIES, PRAGUE: In a city that's already famous for the quirkiness of its public artworks (look up the sculpture in front of the Kafka Museum), this one is still a standout. Created by controversial artist David Černy, these crawling baby sculptures were added to the futuristic-looking Žižkov Television Tower in 2000. (Kids, don't try this at home—or outdoors.)
Image courtesy of Ben Sutherland/Flickr
LE POUCE, PARIS: Yes, this really is a 40-foot-tall sculpture of a thumb. Artist César Baldaccini's thumb, to be specific. Located in Paris's La Défense district, the artwork dates to 1965. Back in the day, Baldaccini was famous for casting his digits and making colossal versions of them. You can really tell his fingerprints are all over this piece. (Sorry–couldn't resist.)
Image courtesy of Rog01/Flickr
MILLENNIUM PARK, CHICAGO: Thanks to iconic pieces like Picasso's Daley Plaza sculpture, Chicago has long been famed for its public artworks. So when Millennium Park opened in 2004, it only further cemented Chi-Town's rep as one of the world's artiest cities. Works like the Crown Fountain—the one where huge video images "spit" into a pool—are always eye-catching, though Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate (you probably know it as "The Bean") is definitely the Park's MVP.
DIGITAL ORCA, VANCOUVER: Going whale watching in Vancouver? If you're lucky, you'll spot a pod of orcas. But we guarantee that most of them won't look like this one. Created by novelist and artist Douglas Coupland, this Digital Orca resembles a pixelated on-screen image brought to life. Good luck seeing this guy out in nature.
Image courtesy of the Vancouver Convention Centre
GUNDAM ROBOT, TOKYO: Leave it to the land of skyscraper-sized lizards to create this monolithic robot—the largest of its kind in the world. Located in Odaiba, Gundam Robot looks like a cross between Buzz Lightyear and the Iron Giant—and its eyes glow at night. We might not stand in its path, if we were you.
Image courtesy of Shuichi Aizawa/Flickr
PHILADELPHIA MURAL ARTS PROGRAM: While we could try and pick our favorite mural in all of Philadelphia, that's just too difficult a task. Thanks to the city's phenomenal mural arts program, there are, after all, more than 3,600 around town, making it the world's largest outdoor public art collection. Don't know quite where to begin? Don't worry—there are tours on offer.
Image courtesy of Steve Weinik
MINNEAPOLIS SCULPTURE GARDEN: If you think one sculpture is cool, try a whole garden full of them. No wonder the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is called "one of the jewels of the city's park system." And while it's being renovated later this year, don't miss the chance to visit this spring: the garden is still a must-visit, thanks to works like the world-famous Spoonbridge and Cherry by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen.
Image courtesy of Meet Minneapolis
VIGELAND PARK, OSLO: Speaking of massive sculpture gardens: it doesn't get much more impressive than Oslo's Vigeland Park, which is the world's largest sculpture park made by a sole artist. While non-Norwegians may not be as familiar with Gustav Vigeland's works, the Nordic sculptor's inviting and jubilant pieces offer up a beautiful exploration of the human form. As the park is filled with more than 200 of his works, it won't take long before you're an expert in his oeuvre.
Image courtesy of Ian Cochrane/Flickr
BABIES, PRAGUE: In a city that's already famous for the quirkiness of its public artworks (look up the sculpture in front of the Kafka Museum), this one is still a standout. Created by controversial artist David Černy, these crawling baby sculptures were added to the futuristic-looking Žižkov Television Tower in 2000. (Kids, don't try this at home—or outdoors.)
Image courtesy of Ben Sutherland/Flickr
LE POUCE, PARIS: Yes, this really is a 40-foot-tall sculpture of a thumb. Artist César Baldaccini's thumb, to be specific. Located in Paris's La Défense district, the artwork dates to 1965. Back in the day, Baldaccini was famous for casting his digits and making colossal versions of them. You can really tell his fingerprints are all over this piece. (Sorry–couldn't resist.)
Image courtesy of Rog01/Flickr
