List of public art in the City of Sydney

The bronze portraits of James Cook, Arthur Phillip and Matthew Flinders also pay tribute to their skills in exploration and navigation.

Busby's Bore takes water as its subject; indigenous fauna is interpreted in Dancing Brolgas and domesticated animals in Trim, Islay and Mare and Foal.

The lives and importance of children are acknowledged in the Tank Stream Fountain, Windlines, Youngsters and the memorial to Hans Christian Andersen.

The list below is of works whose purpose is at least partly artistic and located in the New South Wales local government area of the City of Sydney.

Outside the scope of this list are objects and installations that are: located in the suburbs of Greater Sydney; primarily water features, such as the fountains in Martin Place and in the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House; purely memorial objects such as the obelisk of botanist Allan Cunningham in the Royal Botanic Garden; and temporary exhibitions containing sculptures for sale such as those displayed in the annual Sculpture by the Sea exhibition or other public spaces like Barangaroo.

[5] The list is ordered chronologically and reveals how art has moved from the "pedagogical: kings, generals, prophets and heroes on pedestals, striking poses that were supposed to demonstrate power, nobility and citizenship" to "something ... that brings a site to life, triggers engagement, prompts discussion and reflection''.

(Druitt and George Streets)33°52′21″S 151°12′24″E / 33.872627°S 151.206584°E / -33.872627; 151.206584 The inscription incised into the base reads: "His Excellency ARTHUR PHILLIP Esq, governor in Chief, landed in this Cove with the first Settlers of this country, the 24th Day of January, 1788."

The 20th century sculptor Tom Bass described himself as "a maker of totems – symbolic, widely recognisable forms that embody social, cultural and spiritual meanings for a community – for a city, a corporate client or humanity in general", however, noted Sydney art critic John McDonald critic has commented that "only nowadays our malaise is cultural illiteracy.

"[93] In the twenty-first century, citizens and viewers of public art no longer share a common theology and world-view nor a "general grasp of symbolism and numerology".