ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: The Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia was a spectacular culmination for the rapid development of modern steel arch bridges, which began with the construction of Eads’ bridge over the Mississippi at St Louis in 1874, a year synonymous with the birth of modern art. In turn, the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge had a considerable impact on the development of a seminal modern art movement in Australia. When the harbour bridge was being built, the art produced represented the hopes and aspirations of a fledgling nation, and reflected the construction methodology adopted. Selected art works inspired by the bridge are reviewed and the development of the modern steel arch bridge is described to illustrate the intellectual and aesthetic progress that the Sydney Harbour Bridge represented.
