Background
Hiltunun was born into a prosperous family in 1922. Her father invested in automoblies and her motjer was a strong supporter of her only child.
Hiltunun was born into a prosperous family in 1922. Her father invested in automoblies and her motjer was a strong supporter of her only child.
She is most famous for the Sibelius monument (1967). A statue by Hiltunen resembling a smaller version of the Sibelius Monument stands on the grounds of the United Nations headquarters in New York City. The family"s prospects changed dramatically during the economic crash of 1929 and her father took to drimk.
He died in 1941 and it was her mother who brought her up.
She and her sometimes violent husband had a difficult relationship. She always used her birth name.
Their marriage lasted 50 years until Otto"s death although they were not always together. She is most famous for the Sibelius monument which was constricted in 1967.
Although her abstract sculpture of pipes is now well regarded as an important Finnish landmark its initial reception was controversial.
The objection centred on the abstract design 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. A sculpture by Hiltunen resembling a smaller Sibelius Monument stands in the grounds of the United Nations headquarters in New York City.
Her husband, Otso, died in 1997 and Hiltunen died in 2003.