Cavafy returns to Athens: A sculpture for the city, offered as a gift from the Onassis Foundation in collaboration with the City of Athens

“We owe to Edward Morgan Forster the beautiful image of the ‘Greek gentleman in a straw hat, standing absolutely motionless at a slight angle to the universe,’ which he described in April 1919. Along with photographic material depicting Cavafy—and as he himself wrote, addressing himself: ‘Try to guard them, poet,/ however few there are that can be kept./ The visions of your loving./ Set them, half hidden, in your phrases’—these elements became the stimuli that decisively contributed to the work’s inception, and ‘The poet, partly concealing, partly concealed…’ emerged before me through the malleable material of clay at first and later in bronze.

Thus, his figure was crafted; approached not through imitation but by expressing the image and essence of his poetic world.

The artist’s endeavor is an endless adventure, especially when one must confront the rendering of such an iconic and recognizable figure, one that moves—and will always move—all of humanity with his poetry.

Perhaps such thoughts also troubled the great Albrecht Dürer when he crafted his engraving portrait of Erasmus, leading him to inscribe upon it, in fine Greek, the phrase: ‘Τὴν κρείττω τὰ συγγράμματα δείξει’ (‘[His] writings will show a better likeness’).”

Praxitelis Tzanoulinos, 2026

The Cavafy sculpture is part of a broader strategy of interventions by the Onassis Foundation in public space. With unwavering commitment, the Foundation highlights the “culture of everyday life” through subtle interventions in neighborhoods, playgrounds, monuments, and buildings, contributing to a city that is more friendly, open, and sustainable for everyone. At the same time, an informal network is taking shape that connects Athens’ neighborhoods, encouraging residents to rediscover their city.

In close collaboration with the City of Athens, the Onassis Foundation is implementing new projects that enhance the city’s functionality and aesthetics. Among them is the upgrade of the lighting along the route from Dionysiou Areopagitou to Apostolou Pavlou Streets, designed by Eleftheria Deko, who, in addition to lighting the Cavafy sculpture, also designed the renewed lighting of the Acropolis in September 2020, a project of the Ministry of Culture, which was carried out through a donation and commission from the Onassis Foundation and has received international awards. Once completed, the new lighting design aims to highlight one of Athens’ most iconic walks, enhancing the public space’s experience.

At the same time, redevelopment projects are underway on Aeschinou and Frynichou Streets, aiming to upgrade the everyday experience of public space. In this context, the renovation of Aeschinou Street will soon be completed, featuring bronze engraved plaques running along the street with verses from C. P. Cavafy’s poem “The City.” These initiatives complement urban interventions already implemented by the Onassis Foundation in locations such as Ragkava Park, Avdi Square, Logginou Grove, and the Youth Centers in Neos Kosmos and Dourgouti Park, strengthening residents’ connection to the city and the presence of greenery in everyday life.