Antiques, Decorative and Fine Arts Auction
Antiques, Decorative and Fine Arts Auction
Lot 296: Robert Berks (1921-2011) Signed Bust of John F. Kennedy, Inscribed ILGWU Convention, 1965
2026-04-25T15:00:00Z
Start price: CAD $50
Lot 296:
Robert Berks (1921-2011) Signed Bust of John F. Kennedy, Inscribed ILGWU Convention, 1965
Description
Robert Berks (1921-2011)
Bust of John F. Kennedy
Dated 1965
Cast bust of President John F. Kennedy by American sculptor Robert Berks, signed and mounted on an integral square plinth bearing the inscription:
A Presentation of
65th Anniversary Convention
I.L.G.W.U.
Miami Beach
May 1965.
The present example, dated 1965 and associated with the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union convention in Miami Beach, reflects the immediate post-assassination period during which Berks’ image of Kennedy became central to American commemorative culture.
The bust retains a rich variegated green and brown patina consistent with age. The inscription is integrally cast into the plinth, situating the work firmly within its historical moment.
Material: Cast composite with verdigris painted patina, signed behind the neck.
Height: 8.75 inches
Condition: Very good overall; minor surface wear consistent with age; patina well preserved.
Catalogue Note
Robert Berks’ portrait of John F. Kennedy became the definitive sculptural image of the President in the years following 1963. Berks’ textured modeling approach, modern yet reverential, distinguished his likeness from more classical interpretations and secured its widespread institutional adoption.Variants of Berks’ Kennedy bust have been displayed in significant governmental settings, including examples held and exhibited at the White House.
Works dated to the mid-1960s, particularly those bearing period inscriptions, represent early commemorative castings produced at the height of national memorialization.
Share this lot: