Art and the therapeutic environment

Abstract

A timely inquiry into whether increased healthcare investments in artwork have been justified: Recently, having seen the extremes of functionalism and rationalism denounced, hospitals and health authorities increased budgets for landscaping, artwork, and interior design. Marketing professionals have embraced this trend. It is for our generation to inquire into whether it is possible to go beyond modernist functionality, without wasting the lessons and innovations of that admirable period. Research data from a variety of fields of scientific enquiry, from Medicine to Environmental Psychology, provide architects and hospital managers with tools for the promotion of both efficacy and efficiency. Evidence is presented as to the value of investing in mental and sensory stimulation, and opportunities for restoration, as well as data surrounding the choice and production of art for healthcare facilities, and the consequences, if any, of these to users’ well-being.