He also believes there is a "growing fondness" for public art in Canberra and it is not the politically-sensitive issue it was during the 2008 election campaign.

"I don't deny for one minute that the public art scheme was politically problematic – indeed the Labor Party's polling showed that – but I believe that Canberra has matured through the process and people have come to accept now that it's what a cosmopolitan, dynamic, young city should be investing in," he said.

Mr Stanhope said last election, he believed the criticism of public art was really an opportunity to criticise him, similar to the Arboretum.

"Now that I'm gone, I do believe there really is no heat just as, of course, I meet nobody anymore who doesn't believe the Arboretum is just the most wonderful thing," he said.

By the end of the year, the six remaining pieces commissioned under the now-defunct Percent for Art Scheme, will be unveiled. Three will be installed in the next week, including a statue of Australia's longest-serving prime minister Sir Robert Menzies, to be launched tomorrow on Menzies Walk. The sculpture Droplet by Stuart Green in Phillip is due to be launched on Monday. Moths ascending the capital by Alex Knox is due to open on Drakeford Drive in Tuggeranong on Wednesday.

Some works are also in the pipeline separately as part of the upgrade of local shops.

Future artworks will be funded on a case-by-case basis rather than from an ongoing stream of income.

Mr Stanhope has called for a kind of resurrection of the Percent for Art Scheme, which committed 1 per cent of the new capital works program each financial year to public art projects but which was canned in 2009.

He said the government could look at allocating some money from its change of use charge, because it was a charge on developers meant to bankroll community projects.

"I would like to think some of the money hypothecated from change of use charge to community upgrades will be used to provide enhancements through additional public art. It's essentially another Percent for Art," he said, adding "the business sector of the community need to embrace the scheme as well.

"I am concerned that there are now only another four or five works left to be installed and then the project stops and I would hope there is a way around it," he said.

Several major public art pieces have been installed recently without any official announcement by the Government including Oushi Zokei, Dream Lens for the Future by Keizo Ushio on the median strip of Northbourne Avenue, Lady with Flowers by Dean Bowen on Flemington Road at Harrison, Here and Now on the corner of Edinburgh Avenue and London Circuit by Anna Eggert and On the Road Again at the Lyons shops by Anne Ross.

"I'm calling on the government to embrace public art and not be bashful," Mr Stanhope said.

"But for the community, too, to express its support for the scheme and for the business community, in particular, to begin to actively invest in the public domain and in public art."

Gallery owner and artists' agent Martin Beaver has backed Mr Stanhope's comments, saying Canberra's public art funding had been the envy of other cities.

"I think the government has become a little bit gun-shy about public art but we shouldn't be gun-shy, we should be proud if it and celebrate it," he said.

Chief Minister Katy Gallagher unveiled a new public artwork in Veterans' Park last month, drawing attention to "the role public art brings to improving the amenity of our high quality public spaces and places".

She also unveiled the Chifley and Curtin statues in the Parliamentary Triangle last September.

A spokesman for Arts Minister Joy Burch said the public art program had "made a significant cultural and aesthetic contribution to our community, and Minister Burch looks forward to the roll-out of the remaining works in the coming months".