Wäinö Aaltonen: Reading Room, 1955. © Photo: HAM Helsinki Art Museum Lukutupa / Reading Room Artist Wäinö Aaltonen Leppäsuonkatu 9, Kamppi, Helsinki This approximately 200 x 200 cm bronze relief belongs to a series of large monuments by Aaltonen. It was donated by the artist himself to the University of Helsinki on it’s 100th anniversary. What is remarkable in the piece is its combination of unbroken form and sketch-like expression. The work includes several elements seen in the artist’s other works. Aaltonen used friends and acquaintances as models for the figures in the piece, which is a very typical example of his later oeuvre where different forms of art and various styles come together. Wäinö Aaltonen was one of the most prominent sculptors of his time. His principal works include the statue of Aleksis Kivi on the Railway Station square, Paavo Nurmi at the Olympic Stadium and the relief in the Main Hall of the University of Helsinki. The relief doesn’t belong to the City of Helsinki’s art collection, which is managed by HAM. Read more.. At map
