Pushkin (1799-1837) is considered by many to be Russia's greatest poet. He is most famous for his tragedy Boris Godunov and his verse novel Eugene Onegin. He married late (1831) and died young, in a duel with his wife's brother-in-law.

This statue was raised on the campus of George Washington University in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Pushkin's birth. It was funded by the American-Russian Cultural Cooperation Foundation.