Sport och idrott i offentlig konst : En inventering

Sports in public art is an inventory and analysis of public art in Sweden representing sports. Sports is a phenomenon that to a very large extent shaped Swedish society during the 20th century and beyond. In what way has it left marks on public art? The overall aim of my thesis is to inventory and define a field that is largely unexplored: Swedish public art that represents sports. Further is my aim to try to draw a representative picture of art within this field. The essay touches on two social practices, the world of sports and the arts, where socio-cultural hierarchies of power are created and maintained and where male dominance has been strong. In the essay I analyse and discuss meaning formation of this art based on gender studies. The inventory consists of 358 art works from 148 municipalities. 37 per cent of these works of art represent male athletes and 13 per cent female athletes. There are works of art were both sexes are represented and also several works of art where it’s impossible to determine the sex. Also, there are several works of art that do not represent people. Most works of art are to be find outdoors and 53 per cent has a connection/relation to a sports facility. In the inventory the work of art is classified in three categories: Sports motive, Monuments of athletes and Sports associative work of art. Analyses are made within and between these categories and the collected material is also analysed in a time perspective. The oldest work of art in my inventory dates back to 1910 and the analyse continues up to present days.