In Helsinki there is a memorial to the well-known Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The sculpture is so original and abstract that one can hardly guess at first glance who it might be dedicated to. The author of the monument is the Finnish painter Eila Hiltunen. Their masterpiece is a composition of 600 steel listeners, which form an abstract figure and are brazed together.
On the day of the monument opening, the most influential politician of Finland participated in the ceremonial ceremony. Because of the bold and creative idea of the sculptor, the ceremony threatened to fail. Although the opening of the monument has become a state scandal, the monument has decorated a Helsinki park for nearly 50 years and is the most visited sculpture in the country. The monument was opened on the occasion of the decade after the death of the composer, in 1967. The author has worked on the monument design for several years.
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