Emil Halosen ateljeen muistoreliefi / Memorial Relief of the Emil Halonen studio

The bronze memorial relief by Sanna Koivisto was completed in 1995. It consists of a profile of Eemil Halonen and the text “Tässä Saariniemen atelierihuoneistossa asui ja työskenteli v. 1912-1950 kuvanveistäjä Eemil Halonen” (The sculptor Eemil Halonen lived and worked in this studio in Saariniemi during 1912-1950).

Halonen’s approach to granite and wood was creative. Before he enrolled in the drawing school of the Finnish Art Society he trained as a carpenter. Although he is famous for his humorous folksy caricatures, his later work is more academic in style. He designed numerous memorials to fallen soldiers, grave stones and reliefs, 17 of which are in the Hietaniemi cemetary. The Kalevala is another typical theme in Halonen’s oeuvre. According to the records, Halonen and his family moved to the residence and studio in Pitkänsillanranta 17 (now Siltasaarenkärki 1) on December 30, 1919, although the studio had been under construction from 1912. After having moved from Linnansalmi to Helsinki he spent most of his time in the Pitkänsillanranta apartment until his death in 1950.

The relief doesn’t belong to the City of Helsinki’s art collection, which is managed by HAM.