The Sibelius Monument (; ) by

Eila Hiltunen Eila Vilhelmina Hiltunen (22 November 1922, Sortavala – 10 October 2003, Helsinki) was a Finland, Finnish sculptor. She is most famous for the Sibelius Monument (1967). A statue by Hiltunen resembling a smaller version of the Sibelius Monument s ...

is dedicated to the Finnish composer

Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius (; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic music, Romantic and 20th-century classical music, early modern periods. He is widely regarded as his countr ...

(1865–1957). The monument is located in Sibelius Park (; ) in the

Töölö Töölö (; , formerly spelled ''Thölö'') is the collective name for the neighbourhoods Etu-Töölö () and Taka-Töölö () in Helsinki, Finland. The neighbourhoods are located next to the city centre, occupying the western side of the Helsin ...

district of

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

, Finland.

Description

The monument is a sculpture by Finnish artist

titled ''Passio Musicae'' and was unveiled on 7 September 1967. The sculpture won a competition, organised by the Sibelius Society, following the composer's death in 1957. The competition took two rounds after one early winner was abandoned. Originally it sparked a lively debate about the merits and flaws of

abstract art Abstract art uses visual language of shape, form, color and line to create a Composition (visual arts), composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. ''Abstract art'', ''non-figurative art'', ''non- ...

and although the design looked like stylised organ pipes it was known that the composer had created little music for organs. Hiltunen addressed her critics by adding the face of Sibelius which sits beside the main sculpture. It consists of series of more than 600 hollow

steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

pipes welded together in a wave-like pattern. The monument weighs and measures . Hiltunen's aim was to capture the essence of the music of Sibelius. A smaller version of the monument, ''Homage to Sibelius'', is located at the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

headquarters in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. A work with a similar concept, also designed by Hiltunen, is located at the grounds of the

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Sibelius Park and Kalevala Monument

In 1939, the Leo and Regina Wainstein Foundation organised a competition for sculptors to design a work that depicted a scene from Finland's national epic '' The Kalevala'', which would be erected in the park. The winner was (1889–1980) and his work ''Ilmatar and the Scaup'', in bronze, was unveiled in 1946.

Gallery

File:Sibelius-monumentin-paljastus.jpg, President

Urho Kekkonen Urho Kaleva Kekkonen (; 3 September 1900 – 31 August 1986), often referred to by his initials UKK, was a Finnish politician who served as the eighth and longest-serving president of Finland from 1956 to 1982. He also served as Prime Minister ...

and the artist at the unveiling File:Jean Sibelius Park.jpg, alt=Sibelius monument, Sibelius Park File:WWII monument in Sibelius Park.jpg, World War II Monument in Sibelius Park

References

External links

Virtual tour of Sibelius Monument
{{Jean Sibelius Buildings and structures in Helsinki Statues and sculptures in Helsinki Monuments to composers

Monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

1967 sculptures Steel sculptures in Finland 1967 establishments in Finland Outdoor sculptures in Helsinki Monuments and memorials in Finland Sculptures of men Sound sculptures Töölö