Why I made it.

Greece and America.

I was born in Athens and work between Athens and New York. Greek history and culture are part of my life and my sculpture. In Jefferson, I found an American figure whose engagement with Greece offered a subject I could approach personally.

Jefferson studied ancient Greek language and thought. What particularly inspired me, however, was his interest in the future of modern Greece. Through Korais, that interest became a direct conversation.

Adamantios Korais.

In July 1823, during the Greek War of Independence, the Greek scholar Adamantios Korais wrote to Jefferson seeking advice on government for the emerging Greek state. The two had met in Paris years earlier. Jefferson replied from Monticello on October 31, discussing representative government, the administration of justice and education.

I am moved by the direction of that exchange: an American who had learned from the ancient Greeks sharing the experience of his own young republic with a Greek thinking about his country’s future. For me, it gives a human dimension to the relationship between Greece and America.

A sculpture for the anniversary.

The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026 gave me an occasion to express that connection through sculpture. I wanted to make a portrait that would bring Jefferson into a shared space and invite people to consider this part of his relationship with Greece.

Offering the sculpture as a donation is my contribution as a Greek-American artist to that anniversary and to the continuing conversation between the two countries.