Parthenon Celebrates the 35th Anniversary of Athena Statue with Museum-wide Exhibition of Works by Sculptor Alan LeQuire
World premiere of ‘Monumental Figures’ – 24 new sculptures celebrating contemporary people — alongside ‘Goddess in Progress,’ an exploration of the extensive research and construction of LeQuire’s 42-ft Athena Parthenos
Thirty-five years ago, Alan LeQuire became Nashville’s most prominent sculptor with the unveiling of Athena Parthenos. Now, he is returning to the Parthenon with a new body of work that celebrates contemporary people. Centennial Park Conservancy today announced two major exhibitions featuring the artwork of Alan LeQuire. The shows will be displayed in all public spaces at the Parthenon including outdoors.
Monumental Figures, a world-premiere exhibition of 24 new works focused primarily on strong women, will be displayed in the Naos alongside Athena, the adjacent Treasury, and the exterior East Plaza. Monumental Figures will run June 13 – September 21, 2025.
Goddess in Progress, a behind-the-scenes exploration of Athena Parthenos’ development and construction, will be on display in the East Gallery of the Parthenon June 13, 2025 – April 19, 2026. A free RSVP-required opening reception for both exhibits will take place on June 12 at the Parthenon from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
“Alan LeQuire’s Athena Parthenos is the centerpiece of the Parthenon, an astonishing work of art, and such an important part of Nashville’s history,” said Parthenon Director Lauren Bufferd. “The Parthenon would be a profoundly different place without Alan and his dedication to creating a historically accurate replica of the lost ancient statue.”
“It is a great honor to have Alan return to the Parthenon with an exhibit that delves into the creation of Athena Parthenos while also sharing a new body of work that reflects his own inspiration, interests, and style,” adds Jennifer Richardson, Parthenon Curator. “Sculptors rarely create without commission or expectations since it is an expensive risk. These landmark exhibits will highlight what LeQuire was capable of as a young artist who was tasked with very specific requirements and the artist he has grown into over the past 35 years.”
LeQuire was a 26-year-old graduate student at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro when he won the nationwide competition to sculpt the Parthenon’s central, space-defining statue. His proposal was to create a full-scale replica of the Athena statue that was housed in the original Parthenon in Athens, Greece, recreating it from historical documents and using traditional, non-computer-assisted methods to model the piece and scale it up to full size.
Completion of Athena took eight years, including research, modeling, and approval by archaeologists, including a review by renowned ancient Greek sculpture specialist Brunilde Sismondo Ridgway to assure accuracy of the proportions and drapery. Construction on site at the Parthenon took three-and-a-half years. The piece was unveiled in 1990 as an unpainted statue; gilding and painting took an additional three months in 2002.
Funding for Athena Parthenos and its subsequent gilding is a story of passionate individuals and broad community involvement. In 1985, the Athena Fund Foundation raised funds large and small – complementing the nickels and dimes collected during the 1970s by schoolchildren and adult visitors. In 2019, the nonprofit organization expanded its mission and became Centennial Park Conservancy, now dedicated to sustaining the vibrancy of both the Parthenon and Centennial Park in partnership with Metro Parks. This year, the Conservancy celebrates its 40th anniversary, recognizing four decades of community-driven impact.
“The Parthenon continues to be a valuable example of experimental archaeology, offering both students and scholars the opportunity to experience the art and architecture of ancient Greece firsthand,” said LeQuire. “I began the statue of Athena in 1982 and completed it in 2002 as part of that ongoing experiment. The project was the completion of my training as a sculptor, and I feel very fortunate to have had this experience with Greek art and the Nashville Parthenon.”
While appreciating the technological advances that allow modern sculptors to design and fabricate three-dimensional works with computers, LeQuire views sculpting as a physical discipline, and he mentors and trains younger artists in traditional, hands-on modeling techniques. Twelve people have assisted LeQuire in creating the pieces for the Monumental Figures exhibition, using an ancient technique of enlarging by contour and cross-section.
“Working on a monumental scale usually reserved for mythological figures and royalty, Alan LeQuire elevates regular people who have inspired him,” says Parthenon Curator Jennifer Richardson. “Several Nashville natives are featured prominently in his selection of activists, musicians, and athletes, highlighting the everyday heroes among us.”
Highlights of Monumental Figures include:
Fannie Lou Hamer a colossal portrait on the plaza outside the east doors. Fannie Lou Hamer was a legendary activist for voting rights, women’s rights, and civil rights and a community organizer. Hamer’s testimony at the 1964 Democratic National Convention about her attempts to register to vote as a Black woman in Mississippi made a profound impression on the 9-year-old LeQuire.
Complete and Unbroken will be the focal point of the Treasury. This collection of ten larger-than-life human torsos celebrate the human figure, and respond to the “fragment aesthetic” that we inherit from Greek and Roman sculpture.
Soaring Olympians floating in the air before Athena, three enormous and energetic sculptures of female athletes celebrating gymnastics, track, and swimming. LeQuire drew inspiration from Olympic gold and silver medal winners: Simone Biles, Tennessee State University alumna Wilma Rudolph, Tracy Caulkins, Katie Ledecky, and sisters Alex and Gretchen Walsh.
Monumental Women will line the colonnade on both sides of Athena. These 10 sculptures are all inspired by women whom LeQuire admires or considers to be role models featuring:
Dr. Mildred Stahlman, a pioneering neonatology researcher at Vanderbilt and a longtime family friend who gave LeQuire one of his first sculpture commissions. Supported by The Conway-Welch Family Foundation.
Dr. Dorothy Brown, a Meharry Medical College professor, the first Black female surgeon in the Southeastern U.S., and the first Black woman elected to the Tennessee General Assembly. Supported by The Conway-Welch Family Foundation.
Sifan Hassan, the winner of the marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Diane Nash, the legendary civil rights activist.
Odetta represents the folk and blues singer who was known as “the Voice of the Civil Rights Movement.”
Joan Baez is inspired by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inductee and civil and human rights advocate.
For more information on these exhibitions, please visit nashvilleparthenon.com/exhibits.
The Parthenon Symposia series will also present a free in-person Artist Talk by Alan LeQuire on Tuesday, June 24 at 6 pm. RSVP required at nashvilleparthenon.com/events/symposium-june.
Goddess In Progress and Monumental Figures are presented by the Sandra Schatten Foundation with additional support from the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp and The Conway-Welch Family Foundation.
Exhibitions and educational programming at the Parthenon are underwritten by Centennial Park Conservancy and its generous partners, including: Amazon, Advance Financial Foundation, Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, Dettwiller Foundation, HCA Healthcare Foundation, Jackson National Life Insurance Company, Old Town Trolley, Pinnacle Financial Partners, The Memorial Foundation, and the Tennessee Arts Commission. Subject matter of Parthenon exhibitions does not necessarily represent the opinion of partners or sponsors.