Alexander Pushkin

1999
Bronze
Brussel, Belgium

A monument to Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837), Russian poet, playwright, and prose writer, the founding father of modern-day literary Russian, one of the most respected literary figures of the 19th century, who, in his lifetime, was revered as the greatest national Russian poet.

As tribute to the great Russian poet, the unveiling of a monument to Alexander Pushkin was arranged by the Office of the Mayor of Brussels to coincide with celebrations held by UNESCO on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Pushkin's birth.

A bronze monument some three-and-a-half meters high was erected in Brussels in September 1999, on a small square formed by the intersection of two streets. This square now bears the Russian poet's name. A bronze pedestal features the milestones of Pushkin's life in three languages: French, Russian, and Flemish. The inscription, which encircles the pedestal, is stylized after Pushkin's handwriting.

Georgy Frangulyan invested this monument with the tragic fate of this singular genius-his ability to be inspired, his drive, his power to inspire. The work is a generalized portrait of Russia where, despite all the hardships, spirituality persists. Gusts of wind tussle Pushkin's curls and stir the folds of his cloak. One hand pressed to the chest, the poet casts his gaze ahead and beyond, to the sky, toward immortality.