ALVAR AALTO AND HEIKKI HÄIVÄOJA, miniature sculpture 1959.
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War memorial of Suomussalmi. Bronze. Length c. 77 cm. Marble base 40x15 cm.
The general impression is very good.
Provenance
Architect Vezio Nava worked at Aalto atelier at Tiilimäki between 1961-1984.
Exhibitions
This sculpture has been exhibited at Alvar Aalto's 100th anniversary exhibition at Salone Del Mobile Milano 1998.
Literature
Alvar Aalto: The Mark of the Hand / Harry Charrington and Vezio Nava. Rakennustieto Publishing Helsinki. Pages 153 and 250.
More information
The sculpture is a miniature of the war monument erected in Suomussalmi in northern Finland on August 30, 1959. It commemorates the twentieth anniversary of the battle of Suomussalmi between the Finnish and Russian forces during the Winter War resulting in Finnish victory. The monument was designed by Alvar Aalto and sculpted by Heikki Häiväoja. Häiväoja is an artist who belonged to the artists’ group Maaliskuulaiset during the 1960s, and became renowned for his nature-inspired bronze sculptures. The miniatures were not signed, numbered or stamped.