Public Art in large and medium-sized Brazilian cities exists in conditions very similar to those of the other major cities in Latin America. They are works produced from the 19 th century to the present, with a preponderance of sculpture that, obviously, relates to the various cultural periods of the respective countries. However, the languages of these works and the training of their authors are practically the same. Most of the artists came from European backgrounds, had received strict

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... ic training, and had emigrated to the new continent in search of a better life, producing groups of commemorative statues, decorative sculptures and functional works (fountains). The works demonstrate the various political, ideological and cultural leanings of the different nations, commissioned by the ruling classes in a desire to create their own traditions. But one type of work featured specifically in Brazil in relation to the other Latin American regions, and this is the new cultural heritage, the mark of the present: permanent, contemporary outdoor works.