Earl Heikka

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Earl Heikka
BornMay 3, 1910
Belt, Montana, U.S.
DiedMay 18, 1941(1941-05-18) (aged 31)
Great Falls, Montana, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationGreat Falls High School
OccupationSculptor
SpouseVirginia Middleton
Children4

Earl Heikka (May 3, 1910 – May 18, 1941) was an American sculptor. He designed figurines and statues of the Old West, miners, and horses. He committed suicide at age 31.

Early life[edit]

Heikka was born on May 3, 1910, in Belt, Montana.[1][2] Both his parents were immigrants from Finland.[3] His father, who served as an alderman in Belt,[3] died when Heikka was four, and the latter grew up in Great Falls, Montana.[1] Heikka graduated from the Great Falls High School.[1]

Career[edit]

Heikka opened his first studio on actor Gary Cooper's ranch in 1929.[3] He was introduced to William Andrews Clark, III, the grandson of mining magnate William A. Clark, by Cooper in 1930.[1] It was thanks to Clark that Heikka exhibited his work at the Stendahl Galleries in the Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles in 1931.[1][3] Heikka subsequently exhibited his work in Dallas, Texas in 1936, and at the Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco in 1939.[3]

W. A. Clark III,[4] like many Montana businessmen, collected his work.[3] For Cornelius F. Kelley, the chairman of the Anaconda Copper Mining Company, Heikka designed a six-foot statue of a miner entering a tunnel; the work was installed at his private residence on Long Island.[2][5] Others received a sculpture from Heikka through barter; Heikka often gave his artwork to pay back his debts in local stores.[3]

Heikka designed figurines of the Old West, including Native Americans, cowboys, horses, and mules.[6] He also did figurines of miners,[1][5] and nativity scenes.[7] Heikka often did sketches or oil or watercolor paintings before designing his statues,[3] and at least one sculpture was based on a sketch by Charles M. Russell.[4] According to the Great Falls Tribune, "Heikka had made a name for himself in national art circles, particularly with his modeling depicting picturesque phases of the old west. Combined with the lifelike rendition of the subjects was a careful attention to historical accuracy of all detail."[1]

Personal life, death and legacy[edit]

Heikka married Virginia Middleton in 1933.[8] They had four children, and they resided in Great Falls.[1] Heikka was a member of Christian Science.[9]

Heikka took up drinking shortly after his brother Mike's death.[3] In May 1941, he had an argument with his wife, who left him and moved into her parents' house with their children.[10] A few days later, on May 18, 1941, Heikka drove up to their house and committed suicide by shooting himself in the heart inside his car.[1][5][10] His Christian Science funeral was held at the W. H. George Chapel two days later.[9]

Some of Heikka's work is in the permanent collection of the C. M. Russell Museum Complex in Great Falls and the Hockaday Museum of Art in Kalispell.[11][12] The Earl E. Heikka Museum at 2222 Central Avenue West, Great Falls, opened in 1995.[2]

Further reading[edit]

  • Egan, Mary V. (1973). Earl Heikka: Montana Sculptor, His Life and Work. Denton, Texas: North Texas State University. OCLC 613415087.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Earl Heikka, Great Falls Sculptor, Takes Own Life". Great Falls Tribune. May 19, 1941. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c "New museum opens Saturday". Great Falls Tribune. August 24, 1995. p. 26. Retrieved December 9, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Paladin, Vivian A. (Autumn 1993). "The Life and Western Art of E. E. Heikka". Montana: The Magazine of Western History. 43 (4): 18–31. JSTOR 4519619.
  4. ^ a b "Earl Heikka Models Placed on Display by Murphy-Maclay". Great Falls Tribune. March 15, 1931. p. 9. Retrieved December 12, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b c "Falls Artist Kills Himself. Earl Heikka, 29, Dies of Wounds". The Billings Gazette. May 19, 1941. p. 3. Retrieved December 9, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Shinkle, Florence (December 19, 1976). "The West: 3 Artists". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 7. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  7. ^ "Community Groups Active in Holiday Affairs". Great Falls Tribune. December 23, 1956. p. 42. Retrieved December 12, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Falls Pair Wed". Great Falls Tribune. June 30, 1933. p. 10. Retrieved December 9, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b "Artist Took Own Life, Coroner's Jury Finds". Great Falls Tribune. May 20, 1941. p. 12. Retrieved December 9, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ a b "Montana Artist Kills Himself". The Montana Standard. May 19, 1941. p. 7. Retrieved December 12, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Museum History". C. M. Russell Museum Complex. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  12. ^ "Collection". Hockaday Museum of Art. Retrieved December 15, 2018.

External links[edit]

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