Abstract des Autors

The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) has served as Melbourne's meeting place since the 1850s, in many ways replicating the role of a cathedral in medieval society. Over the years it has evolved into Australian sport's backyard. The Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) has celebrated its history through a variety of commemorative media since the latter half of the nineteenth century. The variety and number of these ornamental trappings has greatly increased over the past 50 years. This article details the public art displayed at the MCG ground with an emphasis on the external abstract sculpture and series of sporting statuary. It also contextualises these sporting artworks within Melbourne's contemporary art discourses, noting that the movement for commemorative statues in Australian sporting stadia runs counter to the current Australian preference for abstract, non-representative art.