Bust of Edgar Allan Poe by Acclaimed Sculptor Zenos Frudakis to Be Presented at Baltimore’s International Poe Festival

Gift to be a centerpiece of the historic Poe House & Museum expansion in Baltimore

PHILADELPHIA, PA, UNITED STATES, May 4, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Internationally recognized American figurative sculptor Zenos Frudakis will present a newly created bust of Edgar Allan Poe as a gift to Poe Baltimore during the 2026 International Edgar Allan Poe Festival, to be held Oct. 2–4 in Baltimore, Maryland. The presentation will serve as a centerpiece of events commemorating the 177th anniversary of Poe’s death. The bust is a gift to Poe Baltimore in anticipation of the ongoing museum expansion and capital effort to create a new, immersive space dedicated to celebrating Poe’s enduring legacy in Baltimore and beyond.

The bust will be featured during festival weekend, with welcome events on Friday, Oct. 2, and formally unveiled during the Black Cat Ball gala on Saturday, Oct. 3, at Westminster Hall, where Poe is buried. Frudakis has also been invited to participate in the weekend as an official Festival Guest of Honor.

The gift underscores a shared commitment to honoring Poe’s enduring literary and cultural legacy through the arts. Created by Frudakis, whose public works and portrait sculptures appear in collections throughout the United States and abroad, the bust adds a significant new artistic tribute to Baltimore’s ongoing celebration of one of its most iconic historical figures right before an historic expansion.

“Mr. Frudakis’ extraordinary gift is the very first major sculptural tribute for Poe entrusted to a site in Baltimore in more than a century. It is both a historic moment and a defining addition to the new museum where Poe’s legacy will be experienced in new and powerful ways,” said Enrica Jang, executive director of Poe Baltimore and the historic Edgar Allan Poe House. “We are honored to receive this remarkable and generous gift, which will be a centerpiece of the future expansion.”

“Growing up reading Poe, we’ve shared many haunting moments together, and I’ve often joked that he gave me a lifelong aversion to being buried alive, figuratively speaking,” said Frudakis. “I’ve always admired the depth of Poe’s imagination and the enduring power of his art. This gift reflects my admiration for his extraordinary legacy, and my support for the important work of Poe Baltimore in preserving it.”

Held annually at the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum, Poe Fest International is a free, family-friendly event featuring Poe-themed performances, visual art, booksellers, food, and cultural programming celebrating the author’s life, works and continuing influence on literature and the arts.
Frudakis, based in Philadelphia, has worked as a professional sculptor for nearly five decades and has created more than 150 monumental works. Known for his mastery of figurative sculpture and portraiture, he is widely recognized for capturing both the physical likeness and inner vitality of his subjects.

Event Details
International Edgar Allan Poe Festival Weekend
Oct. 2–4, 2026
Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum
203 N. Amity St.
Baltimore, MD 21223

For media inquiries and interviews with sculptor Zenos Frudakis, contact: John Xuereb
Email: jfrxuereb@gmail.com
Phone: 610-470-8066

About Poe Baltimore
Poe Baltimore is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization created to fund, maintain and interpret The Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum, and to celebrate the legacy of one of Baltimore’s most famous residents. The organization is dedicated to maintaining the museum as a vibrant experience for the thousands of visitors who come from around the world each year, and as part of a broader mission of city-wide events and educational opportunities celebrating Poe’s legacy in Baltimore and beyond.

About Zenos Frudakis
Contemporary Philadelphia-based sculptor Zenos Frudakis has been a professional working sculptor for nearly five decades. In that time, he has created more than 150 monumental works in public and private collections throughout the U.S. and abroad. An alumnus of Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a master’s in fine art from the University of Pennsylvania. Zenos' emphasis has been the figure and the portrait, as demonstrated in his many monumental figure/portrait works, individual portrait busts and bas-reliefs. He excels at expressing the character and vitality of his subjects while capturing an accurate likeness. Zenos portfolio includes figure sculpture, animals, bas-reliefs, portraits -- both busts and paintings -of living and historical individuals, and poetic/philosophical sculpture with a socially conscious sensibility. www.zenosfrudakis.com.

John Xuereb
Frudakis Studio, Inc.
jfrxuereb@gmail.com

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