The artwork is situated in the centre of Parc Athéna and faces Rue Jean-Talon. It is a standing figure, 231 cm tall, portraying the goddess Athena. She is dressed in a draped robe and an aegis ornamented with serpents. Her right hand is extended in front of her, the palm turned upward. Her traditional Corinthian helmet is tipped back on her head, revealing her face.

Athena is one of the best-known figures in the Greek pantheon. Zeus’s daughter and Apollo’s sister, she was the friend of and advisor to the heroes Achilles, in the Iliad, and Ulysses, in the Odyssey. A warrior figure, she was born fully armed and already adult. Athena was the goddess of war, but also of justice, wisdom, and the arts. She offered her protection to artisans and was the patron of women’s work. In addition to having given her name to the city of Athens, Athena embodies Greek civilization.

The statue was presented as a gift to Montréal in March 2000 by the mayor of Athens, on the occasion of the celebration of independence of Greece, to underline the friendship ties that link the two cities.