A statue sculpted by the renowned Finnish sculptor Eila Hiltunen (1922-2003) in Tehran in 1974, will be restored.
The meeting for initiating collaboration on restoring the ‘Golden Palm’ statue was held last Wednesday and was attended by the Finnish ambassador, Tehran’s municipality consultant, and two veteran sculptors from Iran and Finland, CHN reported.
“In a bid to rehabilitate all of the artists’ works in every corner of the world,” the Finnish government is currently collaborating with Iran to restore the Golden Palm in Mellat Park, one of the largest parks in the city.
Finish Ambassador Harri Kamarainen said the restoration of the statue “is a Christmas gift to his country.”
He noted that Hiltunen was the creator of the landmark statue of music composer Sibelius, a smaller version of which stands on the grounds of the United Nations headquarters in New York City.
“Hiltunen for the Finnish is like Ludwig van Beethoven for the Dutch. Her works attracts thousands of visitors to Finland annually,” he observed. The Finnish envoy said the statue in Iran “is an auspicious cause to expand cultural ties between the two countries.”
The CEO of the Organization of Tehran Beautification, Jamal Kamyab, had earlier said nearly 20 statues have been restored in Tehran over the past year.
