The money raised for the Italian-made work was raised by public subscription and equalled close to one million of today's dollars. But little has been known about the man behind the statue - until now.

The Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka (M.A.D.E) is holding an exhibition of photographic images from the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Scotland, offering residents a glimpse into the life of this renowned Scot.

Entitled Unearthing Robert Burns, the exhibition explores Burns' many roles as farmer, soldier, songwriter, father, taxman and poet, but most of all his role as an advocate for democracy.

M.A.D.E curator Jennifer Forest said the exhibition was timely, coinciding with the For Auld Lang Syne exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ballarat.

"Burns is a man of democracy. He was very much a part of the 18th century radical movement and a lot of things they were calling for then - like the right to vote - we now take for granted," she said.

Forest said the show would help visitors understand why there were more statues erected in Burns' memory than any other writer in history.

"A lot of Scottish people left Scotland in the late 18th and 19th century looking for new horizons. When you leave your home country, you take something with you and Robert Burns was one of the Scottish icons who went with these people," she said.

The exhibition runs until April 27 and entry is free.