About the Program

The Program “ART FOR THE CITY” is a new form of systematic support of art in the public space by the city of Prague. The objective of the program is to provide financial support for the acquisition of artworks for public areas, via city organizations and investors. 

History and context of the support of art in the public space 

Art has always played an important role in the public space. For centuries, artwork in public areas were supported by enlightened private donors, church and secular institutions, and city councils. From the period of the National Revival until the first world war, also the public was involved, via collections, foundations or associations for building of monuments and memorials. In the interwar era, art was present in the public space especially on the façades of public houses, on the avenues and in the parks. 

The socialist state linked the system of support of art in public space to its ideology, via the law on obligatory subsidy of art (or, as it was called, the four-percent act). According to this act, certain amount of a budget or any building project was obligatorily allocated to art decorations. During the normalization period, numerous sculptures, mosaics or reliefs were installed in towns and villages, even though the ideological context was often problematic. Unfortunately, after 1989, the financial support system didn’t follow up on any of the previous models, and the law was cancelled.

Following the long period with no legislative, political or expert concepts of managing the public space, the city of Prague decided to join most European and global capitals that spend a certain part of the investments on art in the public space.

Why Prague needs the program “ART FOR THE CITY” 

These days, few good and innovative artworks and site-specific interventions are created in Prague. Many people’s ideas of the “real” art in the public space are limited to monuments and memorials with bronze statues on granite pedestals, typical for the turn of the 19th and 20th century. In this area, Prague is considerably lacking behind other capitals of the world. After 1990, there was no form of support of contemporary art in the streets and parks of the city. This meant that the public space was “littered” by works that were given free of charge, but not entirely selflessly, to the city districts, institutions, or the city. Such works were often installed with no regards to their surroundings, to the nature of the place, its history, or the local community. The program “ART FOR THE CITY” will therefore protect the worthiest asset that Prague has – the public space – by selecting and supporting the best the contemporary art offers. 

Objectives of the program “ART FOR THE CITY” 

The art in the public space of Prague will be of good quality, innovative, and in well-thought relations with the environment. The public space in Prague will offer the confrontation between historic heritage and contemporary artworks and visual art. New art interventions should be created all across the city, not only downtown or in broad center; they should activate and socialize neglected areas. The importance and perception of the value of contemporary art in the public space must be strengthened, especially by building expert and public dialogue between artists, architects, designers, art theoreticians, historians and general public. The dialogue must reflect the changes in the society and culture, which are also reflected in the art in the country and in the world.