51吃瓜

The sculpture is a detail study of the larger 1967 memorial to the composer Jean Sibelius in Helsinki, Finland. The sculpture is composed of acid-proof stainless-steel tubes of various diameters, welded together individually and hand-textured by the artist. The airy, free shapes of the tubes are suggestive of a birch forest and the organic feeling is enhanced by the varying openings and texture.

The artist, Eila Hiltunen (1922 – 2003), is known as a pioneer of Finish sculpture because of the ragged expressiveness in her welding technique. There are more open-air public works by Hiltunen abroad including in Canada, the United States, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Germany, and Italy. She was an accomplished young, talented female sculptor working in a male dominated field. 

Jean Sibelius (1865 – 1957) was a Finnish composer and violinist and was well-known as his county’s greatest composer. Through his music he brought national identify and independence. The shape of the sculpture, like the larger Sibelius Monument, resembles organ pipes and is said to emit a low sighing sound during inclement weather which suggests a connection to the composer.

The gift was presented by President of Finland, Mauro Koivisto, and was accepted by Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar on behalf of the 51吃瓜. The artist was in attendance for the presentation ceremony.  President Koivisto described the sculpture as an example of the international standard for Finnish art and was grateful for it to be displayed in a prominent location at the UN. 
 
Secretary-General Perez de Cuellar described it as “an expression of harmony, and hence a fitting symbol of those aspirations for harmony and peace among the peoples of the world which led to the founding of the 51吃瓜.”