John Munsterhjelm
Johan Hjalmar (John) Munsterhjelm (December 11, 1879 Tuulos[1] – 16 August 1925 Helsinki) was a Finnish sculptor.[2][3]
John Munsterhjelm | |
---|---|
![]() Self-Portrait, 1917 sculpture in bronze | |
Born | Johan Hjalmar Munsterhjelm 11 December 1879 |
Died | 16 August 1925 45) | (aged
Nationality | Finnish |
Known for | Sculpting |
Biography
He was born to painter Magnus Hjalmar Munsterhjelm and Olga Mathilda Tanninen in Tuulos. He first aimed to become an architect while studying at Helsinki Polytechnical Institute, but he became more interested in applied arts. He studied at a kunstgewerbeschule in Berlin 1902–1903. He went onto further study at the Royal School of Art in Berlin.[3] He ended up living in Berlin until 1911 while also making study tours in Scandinavia, Belgium, France and Italy. In 1909 he married German Hedvig Schneider.[3] The same year he sculpted a bust of Jean Sibelius.[4] He made decorative figurines out of bronze and granite, sculpted a city hall facade in Vaasa (showing Charles IX and the double portrait of the national rulers, Pehr Evind Svinhufvud and Gustaf Mannerheim), a large number of portrait busts of prominent persons and medallions.[1][3] He acted as the vice president of The Artists' Association of Finland from 1913 to 1915.[3]
He died following complications from appendix surgery in 1925. Being German-influenced and slightly foreign to Finland's sculpting circles at the time, he never developed a substantial reputation in Finland.[3]
Works
- Portrait of Jean Sibelius, Bust, 1909
- Lakes of Finland, allegorical portrayal of the waters of Finland, 1911[5]
- The Ox in Vyborg, 1915
- Memorial at Joensuu cemetery to those fallen in the Finnish Civil War, 1920
- Relief of Svinhufvud and Mannerheim on the left side of the front facade of the Vaasa City Hall, 1924
- Relief of Charles IX on the right side, 1924
References
- Various (1925). Nordisk familjebok. pp. 631–632. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
- Bullock, Philip Ross (editor) (2011). The Correspondence of Jean Sibelius and Rosa Newmarch, 1906-1939. Boydell & Brewer Ltd. p. 57. ISBN 1843836831. Retrieved June 8, 2014.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
- Reitala, Aimo. "Munsterhjelm, John (1879 - 1925)". Kansallisbiografia. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
- Jones, Evan Allan (editor) (2009). Intimate Voices: Debussy to Villa-Lobos. The string quartets of Debussy and Ravel. University Rochester Press. p. 27. ISBN 1580463401. Retrieved June 8, 2014.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
- "Suomen järvet". Tampere. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
- "Vapaudenpatsas takaisin kotipaikalleen". Yle. June 22, 2010. Retrieved June 29, 2020.