Sibelius Monument

In Töölö, Helsinki

The Sibelius Monument, situated in Töölö, Helsinki was completed in 1967 causing unparalleled hue and cry. The result of the open competition arranged for the purpose caused such a heated discussion that the sponsor decided to arrange a second round.
The Sibelius Monument was unveiled on September 7, 1967. President Urho Kekkonen was present, with Finland's political, cultural and business elite.

Eila Hiltunen

All artists whose works had been awarded and paid were invited. The work by Eila Hiltunen, a large structure of steel pipes welded together and standing on three support legs, won the second competition. There had been doubts, whether this abstract statue would be suitable as a memorial of the great man. The sculptor had added a separate relief-like portrait of the master compose to the final version.

Great artistic breakthrough

For Eila Hiltunen the Sibelius Monument became her great artistic breakthrough. It is considered as one of the most remarkable memorials in Finland, and its position in Finnish sculpture art is nearly iconic.

Public works of Eila Hiltunen

The comprehensive production by Eila Hiltunen also includes many other public works, for instance Under the Water (1960) in Tampere, A la Russe (1965) in the Turku City Theatre and Palm Grove (1975) in Teheran.
Eila Hiltunen has more works abroad than any other Finnish sculptor. There is a miniature of the Sibelius Monument in the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, and in Montreal and New York there are full-scale partial designs of the monument.

Sculptor Eila Hiltunen (1922-2003)

The sculptor Eila Hiltunen was born on November 22, 1922, in Sortavala, Eastern Finland (now part of Russian Carelia) as the only child of automobile entrepreneur Usko Hiltunen. Her mother Ester, who herself had wished to become an actress, did all to promote her daughter's artistic aspirations.
Eila finished her high school during the war, studied sculpture at The Finnish Art Academy and twice won the top academic prize for sculpture before graduation. In 1943, she met Otso Pietinen. The couple built a studio house in Helsinki's Munkkiniemi garden suburb in 1956. Eila Hiltunen died peacefully at her Helsinki home on October 10, 2003, after a long, crippling illness. She was creative until the very end.

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