WASHINGTON – A significant piece of Greek history got a makeover with the successful restoration of the historic statue of Eleftherios Venizelos at the Greek embassy the US capital of Washington, D.C. The restoration project was spearheaded by the Venizelos Foundation USA.
The statue, originally designed by the late Yiannis Pappas – a renowned sculptor who personally knew Eleftherios Venizelos through his father, a minister in Venizelos’s cabinet – holds a special place in modern Greece’s cultural heritage. Pappas is known for his numerous statues of Venizelos across Greece, including those in front of the Hellenic Parliament in central Athens, as well as in the northern city of Thessaloniki and Heraklion (Irakleio), on Crete.
The statue at the Washington embassy is particularly notable as it is a smaller-scale version of the one located in “Freedom Park” (Eleftherias Park) near the US embassy in Athens. The only other identical copy is hosted at the Benaki Museum in Athens.
Greece’s Ambassador to the United States, Ekaterini Nassika, expressed her appreciation for the restoration, stating, “we extend our heartfelt thanks to the Venizelos Foundation USA and its donors for restoring the Eleftherios Venizelos statue, a landmark at the Greek embassy in Washington, D.C., and a tribute to the great statesman of modern Greece.”
The restoration was overseen by artists Antonia Papatzanaki and Vasili Vasili, in cooperation with contractor George Marafatsos, and received the endorsement of Alekos Pappas.
Nickos Kastrinakis, the president of the Venizelos Foundation USA, acknowledged the support from the community and key donors, including the Kokolakis family.
“We are so excited to see Venizelos represented again in a proper way,” Kastrinakis explained. “It is also very moving to see the community’s interest, as they pay attention to the statue and share their feelings on social media.”
