Laila Pullinen was born on July 24, 1933, and died on November 4, 2015.
He was a Finnish artist and sculptor. Her work exemplifies modernism, in particular classical modernism in sculpture.
Laila was one of the few Finnish women artists to achieve international recognition.
Laila studied art first at the Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki 1953 to 1956, the Accademia Pietro Vannucci in Perugia 1958 and Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma 1961-1962.
She started to exhibit her works in international exhibitions from the late 1950’s.
In Finland several dozen examples of her sculpture can be found decorating public places such as Helsinki-Vantaa Airport and Nissbacka Park of Sculpture.
Her works have also been acquired by several international art museums and collections.
In 1968 Laila was awarded the Order of the Lion of Finland. She was also the first female president of the Union of Finnish Sculptors.
In her art, Laila often employed traditional materials, such as stone and bronze, but occasionally she could try very innovative sculpting methods.
For example, she used explosives to sculpt a relief for The 1967 International and Universal Exposition in Montreal, Canada.
As a personality, Laila was known as a strong-willed and communal character, as she was a well-known figure in artist circles and worked to improve the position of sculptors.
Laila passed away at age 82 in November 2015.