In the Roman park "Villa Borghese", where a monument to A.S. Pushkin was unveiled in June 2000, a sculpture of another outstanding Russian writer, Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, has now appeared. The bronze figure of the author of "Dead Souls" was created by the renowned sculptor and president of the Russian Academy of Arts Zurab Tsereteli, who donated it to the Italian capital free of charge.

Gogol is depicted sitting on a bench, thoughtfully gazing at the world from a height of four meters, holding his smiling mask on his knee. The writer spent more than five years in Italy, mostly in Rome, with breaks. He said that "you fall in love with Rome very slowly, little by little, and for a lifetime," explaining his attachment to this city.

The Roman public has received the artistic solution of the monument with respect. The sculptor is Zurab Tsereteli, whose works are widely represented in Russia. However, critics note that the sculpture of Gogol in Rome is executed in an academic style, without seeking new expressive means, continuing the tradition of Soviet monumental art, in which the sculptor Tomsky worked, who created a monument to the writer on Gogolevsky Boulevard in Moscow.