Things like the Arc de Triomphe, Statue of Liberty, Sphinx, Trevi fountain, and Cristo Redentor? Did they just have more money back then? I know there are still war memorials, but theyre usually small scale or plain looking. There are art installations too, but often theyre small and plain too, and for the most part semi-permanent. The only modern instance I can think of outside of Asia, is the St. Louis arch. Is there a reason for the decline in state sponsored art?
I don't want to get into 20 year stuff but seeing as how I can see this from my apartment I would question whether states have ceased with vanity projects.
I could just as easily point to, say, The Motherland Calls, or most the statues on this list. I think you might just need to cast your net a bit wider because plenty of states are still doing this kind of thing.