The sculptor Raimo Utriainen (1927-1994) was the innovative spirit of modernism in Finnish sculpture. With some forty major public works to his name, he was the most successful and international monumental sculptor of his generation in this country.
By nature outspoken and unconventional, Utriainen became a controversial figure. From his student years onwards, his passion for world art led him to travel extensively. Long before his first solo exhibition in Finland at the Helsinki Artek Gallery in 1974, he had made public works also outside the country, in Israel, Norway and Sweden, and acquired an international reputation.

Raimo Utriainen modernised Finnish sculpture both aesthetically and technically. Although he began his career using the traditional methods, by the early 1970s he had gone over to using industrial materials and means. His highly original sculptures consisted of aluminium or stainless steel slats assembled around vertical or horizontal axles. His works gradually progressed towards complete simplicity and tranquility.