Walter Runeberg

Walter Magnus Runeberg (Finland Swedish: [ˈrʉːnebærj]; 29 December 1838 – 23 December 1920) was a Finnish neo-classical sculptor.[1] He was the son of Finnish national epic poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg.[2]

Walter Runeberg
Portrait photograph of Walter Runeberg, 1870–1875
Born
Walter Magnus Runeberg

(1838-12-29)29 December 1838
Porvoo, Grand Duchy of Finland
Died23 December 1920(1920-12-23) (aged 81)
Helsinki, Finland
NationalityFinnish
Known forSculpture
MovementNeo-classical
Spouse
Lina Elfving
​
​
(m. 1867; died 1916)​

Biography

Runeberg was born in Porvoo as the eldest son of J. L. Runeberg and his wife, Fredrika Tengström. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki, and with sculptor Carl Eneas Sjöstrand.[1] From 1858 through 1869 he studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen under Herman Wilhelm Bissen, acquiring a clear influence from the neoclassical style of Bissen's master Bertel Thorvaldsen.[1] He married Lina Elfving (1841–1916) in 1867. They had six children.[1]

With his wife Lina in Rome, 1868
Portrait by Gunnar Berndtson, 1879

After periods living and working in Rome and Paris,[1][3] Runeberg produced many of Helsinki's best-known examples of monumental public art. The largest is the Alexander II Monument in Senate Square, a commission awarded jointly to Runeberg and sculptor Johannes Takanen, then completed by Runeberg after Takanen's death in 1885.[4] The pedestal features several allegorical figures. Notably, the figure representing Law is a version of the Suomi-neito, the Finnish maiden, here cloaked in bearskin.[5]

Runeberg in his studio, 1910s

He is buried in the Hietaniemi Cemetery in Helsinki.[6]

Runeberg family grave, Hietaniemi Cemetery, Helsinki

Works

Statue of Alexander II
  • Alexander III being shown a work-in-progress of the statue of Alexander II on 9 August 1885 at House of Nobility
    Alexander III being shown a work-in-progress of the statue of Alexander II on 9 August 1885 at House of Nobility
  • Reveal of the statue of Alexander II on 29 April 1894 at Senate Square
    Reveal of the statue of Alexander II on 29 April 1894 at Senate Square
  • The statue with its accompanying structure
    The statue with its accompanying structure
  • The statue itself up close from the front
    The statue itself up close from the front
  • Alexander II from the side
    Alexander II from the side
  • Close-up from the front with Helsinki Cathedral's John the Apostle in the background
    Close-up from the front with Helsinki Cathedral's John the Apostle in the background
  • Statues at the bottom, with the four sides representing Law, Trade, Peace and Labor
    Statues at the bottom, with the four sides representing Law, Trade, Peace and Labor
  • Law
    Law
  • Trade
    Trade
  • Peace
    Peace
  • Labor
    Labor
  • Model for Trade, called Science and Art
    Model for Trade, called Science and Art
  • Model for Law
    Model for Law
  • One of the two copies of Law displayed at the Presidential Palace (pictured in 2001)
    One of the two copies of Law displayed at the Presidential Palace (pictured in 2001)
  • The other copy at the House of the Estates
    The other copy at the House of the Estates

Other notable works
Kleobis and Biton on the facade of the Old Student House, Helsinki, 1878[8]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Walter Runeberg.

See also

References
  1. Lindgren, Liisa (9 October 2006). "Runeberg, Walter (1838 - 1920)". Kansallisbiografia. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  2. "Walter Runeberg Collection :: The Saatchi Gallery". www.saatchigallery.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01.
  3. "Walter Runeberg". Porvoo. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  4. http://www.taidemuseo.fi/english/veisto/veistossivu.html?id=317
  5. Undressing the maid: gender, sexuality, and the body in the construction of the Finnish nation, Johanna Valenius, 2004, page 20
  6. "Hietaniemen hautausmaa – merkittäviä vainajia" (PDF). Helsingin seurakuntayhtymä. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  7. "ohan Ludvig Runebergin muistomerkki/ Johan Ludvig Runeberg's memorial". HAM Helsinki. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  8. "Kleobis ja Biton / Cleobis and Biton". HAM Helsinki. Retrieved 23 June 2020.


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