Receptive engagement · Healthcare settings
Find research on encountering sculpture, murals, paintings and other installed visual art. Art-making and art therapy are outside the core scope.
The collection includes studies, reviews, theory and context. Records can overlap; 55 records does not mean 55 independent studies.
Reading the evidence
A trial of 80 patients reported improvements in hope, anxiety and mental wellbeing. Pain did not significantly differ.
Limitation. Visits also involved movement, attention and a change of setting; this was not ambient exposure alone.
Read record PAH-038A trial of 186 cancer inpatients found better perceptions of the environment, with no detected psychological or clinical differences.
Limitation. This was a single-site trial of room paintings. Its findings cannot be generalised to every artwork or setting.
Read record PAH-016The reviewed material does not establish a causal health effect for permanent sculpture isolated from its surroundings.
Limitation. This conclusion is bounded by the literature reviewed; it is not a claim that no sculpture research exists.
Read record PAH-007These examples illustrate different kinds of findings. They do not indicate the proportion of positive or null results across the literature.
Using the repository
18 illustrated sculptures by different artists, with institutional settings and source records. Installation examples are distinct from evidence of health effects.
Institutional case summariesQuestions about purpose, placement, access, care and evaluation for institutions considering installed art.
Evaluation guideResearch citations and the original bibliography, with source types identified and duplicate URLs consolidated.
Download research records (CSV)Scope and transparency
This is an editorially curated repository, not a systematic review or a claim to contain all relevant research. Core healthcare evidence, adjacent studies and contextual material are labelled separately.
Founded by sculptor George Petrides. His healthcare installations appear as disclosed examples of practice and are excluded from the research evidence.
Last editorial review: 9 September 2026 · Edition 4.1 · Methods, verification and corrections