In early 1963, Felix de Weldon was chosen by Jacqueline Kennedy and a leader of each branch of the Armed Forces to produce the sculptural portrait of President Kennedy that was to be a featured item in the Kennedy Library. In the spring of 1963, Felix de Weldon began his work on the Kennedy bust. The work was being created from life, as the President posed in the White House. The work was nearing completion when the tragic events of November 1963 occurred. The nearly finished sculpture was removed to de Weldon's studio where the artist was encouraged to complete the work. Jacqueline Kennedy and Dave Powers visited de Weldon during the post-assassination days, adding their input that would help the work truly capture the essence of the late President. De Weldon reminisced: "After the President was assassinated, Mrs. Kennedy came to my studio to supervise the completion of the bust. When she saw the finished work for the first time she burst into tears. This was a very sad day. I remember Mrs. Kennedy wearing white gloves, walking slowly toward the clay model touching the corner of the lips, making the image a happier John F. Kennedy."
Ultimately, the de Weldon bust was unveiled at the Kennedy Library where Jacqueline Kennedy went from tears to an obvious moment of pride, touching the lips of the sculpture and telling the audience how it so captured the essence of her late husband. According to Powers, then Director of the Kennedy Library, the work reminded him of how the President looked upon hearing "Hail to the Chief." In later years, Dave Powers has stated that the de Weldon bust is the "favorite work of art of the entire Kennedy family."
Felix de Weldon, with more than 2,000 monumental works throughout the world, has served his adopted country like no other artist. Although 33 of de Weldon's works are on public display in prominent locations in Washington D.C., it was de Weldon's Marine Corps Memorial (universally referred to as The Flag Raising on Iwo Jima) that forever cemented the artist's position in history. Celebrated in 1995 on the Fiftieth Anniversary of Iwo Jima, Felix de Weldon was honored by President Clinton who described the Iwo Jima sculpture as one of the most significant in this nation's history.
According to Felix de Weldon's son, Byron de Weldon, after his father sculpted the John F. Kennedy bust in clay in 1963, a mold was made and only four bronze casts were done. Then the mold was destroyed. One cast was given to Mrs. Kennedy (and later given to the Kennedy Library), one cast was given to the Kennedy Library, one cast was given to the Kennedy Space Center, and the artist kept one cast for himself. In 1990, de Weldon used his bronze cast to make a new mold in order to produce the Limited Edition of 250 which are numbered and stamped. The original bronze cast bust retained by the artist is the piece being offered for sale here. 16 1/2 tall, 22 1/2 on pedestal base
* This lot is not part of the Robert L. White Collection