Museums and public art have traditionally taken significantly different approaches to customer engagement; however, throughout history, they have also collaborated in some urban contexts, notably as landmarks of so-called cultural districts. Public Art and Museums in Cultural Districts reviews their changing interactions in many different types of cities since the Enlightenment, or even before, tracing back to the etymological origins of museums and monuments in classical antiquity.

The type of historical enquiry presented within the volume is not intended as a total narrative, but the international case studies considered convey a global panorama of the shifting paradigms set in different periods by cultural neighbourhoods and emulated worldwide. Blurring boundaries between art history, museology, and urbanism, this critical account explores past tensions, achievements, and failures, providing insightful consideration to present policies and offering reasonable recommendations for the future regarding public heritage.

For the first time, the book presents insights into the role of collections of public art as landmarks of cultural districts, considering collections displayed outdoors from both curatorial outreach and civic values perspectives.

This book fills a gap in the existing museum studies literature, previously focused mainly on indoor collecting and curatorial policies, but increasingly more attentive to their outside context. As such, the book should be of great interest to academics, researchers, and students working in the fields of art, heritage, museum studies, and urban history. It should also be valuable to professionals working in the museum and art sectors.