Public Art in British New Towns: The Past, Present and Future

Abstract

This chapter analyses the interaction between two important movements in Britain in the second half of the twentieth century, the international contribution to urban planning through the New Towns programme and the particular contribution of British artists to public art and how these two parallel movements intertwine. The chapter begins by considering the definition of public art and the marked changes to the work purchased and commissioned in the immediate post-war period. The chapter then considers how the development of post-war New Towns has created new opportunities for contemporary artists, whose work had previously been confined to the gallery. In some cases the public art is integral to the architecture, and this opportunity has since become a threat to the future of many of these artworks. The optimism that defined post-war planning gave way to more negative perceptions of some New Towns as sites of boredom, monotony and even decay, from a failure to deliver on their initial promises of good jobs; a clean, modern environment; and supportive welfare state. In the second half of the chapter are examples of current public art activity in New Towns, and the challenges to sustain these in a time of public sector austerity. Finally, the chapter looks forward, and at the potential to sustain and reinvigorate public art in New Towns into the future.

Citation

Congreve, A. (2020), "Public Art in British New Towns: The Past, Present and Future", Fée, D., Colenutt, B. and Schäbitz, S.C. (Ed.) Lessons from British and French New Towns: Paradise Lost?, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 159-172. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83909-430-920201011