Soviet Statue Given Display in its Honour

A gigantic sculpture that is one of the most admired examples of Soviet socialist realism is back on view in Moscow after six years of restoration.

Fireworks seen over the famous monument "The Worker and the Collective Farmer" unveiled after restoration in Moscow, Friday, Dec. 4, 2009. One of the iconic monuments of the Soviet era, “The Worker and the Collective Farmer,” depicting a robust couple, with a hammer and sickle in hands, striding into a Socialist future, has been expensively restored and unveiled near its former location at the Economic Achievements Exhibition on Friday in Moscow. (AP Photo/Anna Shevelyova)
The stainless-steel sculpture, called "Worker and Collective Farm Woman," was unveiled Friday in a nighttime ceremony with fireworks attended by thousands.

The 24.5-meter (80-foot) sculpture depicts the two figures striding forward purposefully, their raised arms holding a hammer and sickle to replicate the Communist symbol. The worker's sash and the woman's skirt float behind them, as if they were moving at high speed.

The 72-year-old sculpture by Vera Mukhina stands on a new 34.5-meter (112-foot) pedestal, which is to house a museum, at an entrance to the All-Russia Exhibition Center, itself a renowned collection of Stalin-era buildings.