ALVAR AALTO AND HEIKKI HÄIVÄOJA, miniature sculpture 1959.

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.