Runeberg was born in
Porvoo as the eldest son of
J. L. Runeberg and his wife,
Fredrika Tengström. He studied at the
Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki, and with sculptor
Carl Eneas Sjöstrand. Runeberg produced many of Helsinki's best-known examples of monumental public art. The largest is the
Alexander II Monument in
Senate Square, a commission awarded jointly to Runeberg and sculptor Johannes Takanen, then completed by Runeberg after Takanen's death in 1885. The pedestal features several allegorical figures. Notably, the figure representing Law is a version of the
Suomi-neito, the
Finnish maiden, here cloaked in bearskin. Runeberg was also frequently commissioned for private assignments. These include the bust of
Ellan de la Chapelle in Paris in 1880, who became the wife of artist
Albert Edelfelt in 1888. From 1893 to 1896, Runeberg worked in
Copenhagen, Denmark. He is buried in the
Hietaniemi Cemetery in Helsinki. , Helsinki ==Works==