Summary

The result of thirty years of labor, this publication addresses the sculpture of public secular monuments in modern Athens. It is structured in two parts: the first includes chapters on modern Greek sculpture, from the second half of the 19th century to the first half of the 20th century, as well as on the Athenian sculpture workshops of the period; the second presents sections with sculptures that have been erected in the center of Athens.

Thus, within the pages of this book, parameters of modern Greek sculpture are re-examined; strong figures behind the monuments are mentioned; serious omissions are restored; errors are corrected through the exploration of now hard-to-access archival material and by referring to other, as yet unused testimonies; the fate of modern Athenian works is presented, as evident from human intervention.

Contents

• Preface
• The beginnings of sculpture in modern Greece
• The Siegel case
• The projection of Tinian sculpture
• The myth of the marble sculptor brothers Malakates
• The identity of Athenian marble sculptors
• The professional sculpture of the interwar period
• Interwar Halepas
• From ancient grandeur to national pride
• The struggles of modern Athenian sculptors
• The first hero monument
• The first busts
• The sculptures of Zappeion
• The sculptures of the National Garden
• The first equestrian statue
• The sculptures of the University of Athens
• The sculptures of the Academy of Athens
• The first mounted statue
• The monument to Pavlos Melas
• The ensemble of Viktoria Square
• The statue of Kaningos Square
• The monument to the Unknown Soldier
• The sculptures of Omonia Square
• The Garden of Heroes in Pedion Areos
• The second mounted statue
• Individual monuments
• Bibliography
• Illustration
• Source of illustrations
• Index of Personal Names