Zenos Frudakis—The Monument Man
For over fifty years, master sculptor Zenos Frudakis has refined a classical sculptural language that speaks to the modern soul. Widely revered as a premier American figurative sculptor, Frudakis does not merely mimic the human form; he explores the spirit within, capturing the profound emotions of those who have moved the world.
His expansive body of work—ranging from monumental public commissions to intimate bronze portrait statues and expressive busts—serves as a bridge between the academic rigors of the past and the urgent narratives of the present. As a master figure sculptor, his process involves an alchemy of bronze that transforms raw material into a living anthem for human experience.
Freedom: An Icon of Figurative Sculpture
Nowhere is this mastery more evident than in his seminal masterpiece, Freedom. A global cultural touchstone and a viral icon of the digital age, this public monument depicts a visceral struggle for liberation that resonates across borders. Featured in Architectural Digest’s list of “10 of the Most Interesting Sculptures in the World,” and included in The Independent’s “Top Ten: Public Art,” Freedom stands as a testament to Frudakis’s ability to define the figurative sculpture tradition for the 21st century.
Sports Sculpture
Celebrate the spirit of athletic excellence with Zenos Frudakis’s dynamic bronze sports sculptures. His lifelike portrayals honor legendary figures from the world of sports, including greats such as Muhammad Ali, James J. Braddock, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Payne Stewart, Dinah Shore, Sandy Tatum, and Bob Jones.
Baseball fans will recognize the power and presence of All-Stars immortalized in bronze—Steve Carlton, Mike Schmidt, Robin Roberts, Richie Ashburn, and the legendary Joe DiMaggio. Each sculpture captures not just the likeness, but the passion, movement, and legacy of these remarkable athletes.
More than
150 Sculptural Works of Art
Portrait Sculpture
View portrait monuments, statues, busts and relief sculptures by Zenos Frudakis.
Explore an extensive, award-winning collection of more than 150 bronze sculptures by Zenos Frudakis—created over five decades and displayed in public and private collections across the U.S. and around the world. His works include notable commissions such as the United States Air Force Memorial Honor Guard and sculptures of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as well as figures ranging from John D. MacArthur to Dame Lois Browne-Evans.
Zenos’ body of work features both historic and contemporary icons, including Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, Albert Einstein, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Sir Winston Churchill, alongside modern figures such as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Nina Simone, and Don McLean.
International Recognition
Zenos's many accolades include the Hakone Award from the Utsukushi-ga-hara Open-Air Museum, Rodin Grand Prize, Japan (1990) for his sculpture Reaching; a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Development Grant for Sculpture awarded through a national competition (1985); and an Arts America Grant from the United States Information Agency (USIA) supporting sculpture, travel, and engagement with artists in Africa (1985).
The National Sculpture Society (NSS) of New York has honored Zenos with numerous distinctions, including the Herring Art in Architecture Award, Silver Medal of Honor for his life-size Irish Wolfhound sculpture (1986); as well as the President’s Prize, Gloria Medal; and the Edwin and Theresa Richards Award for Portraiture. He has also received the National Academy of Design Award in recognition for excellence in portraiture.
Zenos is currently recognized as an International Academician of the Burckhardt Akademie, Accademia Internazionale per L'Unita della Cultura in Rome, Italy; a National Academician of the National Academy of Design, and Fellow of the National Sculpture Society. He previously served on the Board of Directors of the National Sculpture Society (1988-1992), the Editorial Board of the National Sculpture Review (1990-1992), and the Board of Advisors for the International Sculpture Center Johnston Competition.
His sculptures are represented in numerous public and private collections worldwide, including the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa; The Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden; Glaxo plc, Research Triangle Park in Tokyo and London; Tralee, Ireland; Meskla in Crete, Greece; Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina, US; Bermuda Justice Center in Bermuda; and the Utsukushi-ga-hara Open Air Museum in Hakone, Japan.
Museum Exhibitions of Figurative Sculpture
Zenos Frudakis’ sculptures have been exhibited internationally in prominent museums and institutions, reflecting his enduring impact on contemporary figurative sculpture. His work has appeared at the Hakone Open-Air Museum in Japan; Brookgreen Gardens, South Carolina; the Tampa Museum of Art (with the National Sculpture Society); and the Southern Alleghenies Museum of the Arts in Ligonier, Pennsylvania.
Additional exhibitions include the Atwater Kent Museum in Philadelphia; the National Academy of Design and the National Sculpture Society in New York; Chesterwood in Stockbridge, Massachusetts; Shidoni Gallery in New Mexico; and Fairfield University’s exhibition The Figure: Revolving Traditions in Connecticut. Frudakis has also participated in major juried and group exhibitions with the National Academy of Design, the Institute of Contemporary Art (MFA group shows) in Philadelphia, and the Port of History Museum, where he served as Chairman and exhibitor for National Sculpture Society Celebrates the Figure.