John F. Kennedy Memorial, London

John F. Kennedy Memorial
The memorial in its former location on Marylebone Road in May 2010
Map
Year1965 (1965)
SubjectJohn F. Kennedy
LocationLondon, United Kingdom
Coordinates51°31′26″N 0°08′41″W / 51.523890°N 0.144622°W / 51.523890; -0.144622

A 1965 memorial bust of John F. Kennedy by Jacques Lipchitz stands in the lobby of International Students House on Great Portland Street in London, England,[1] and is visible from the outside through the glass doors. It was moved there in April 2019 from its original location on the Marylebone Road,[2] to the west of Great Portland Street underground station, after it was vandalised in 2017.[3][4]

Description and history

The bronze bust was unveiled on 15 May 1965 by the subject's brother, Robert F. Kennedy.[1] It was originally set on a pedestal of polished black granite.[5]

An adjacent plaque read:[6]

This bust of President Kennedy by the American sculptor Jacques Lipchitz was unveiled on the 15th May 1965 by his brother Senator Robert Kennedy. This memorial was subscribed for by over 50,000 readers of the Sunday Telegraph in amounts limited to £1.

It is now on a new plinth. The old plinth remains in place, and bears a sign giving directions to the new location nearby.

The bust is a unique cast,[5] but another bust of Kennedy by Lipchitz was installed on 11 November 1965 in Military Park, Newark, New Jersey, United States.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "John F Kennedy Memorial At International Students House", ISH website, 5 April 2019. (Web page includes a short video of the 1965 unveiling by Robert Kennedy.)
  2. ^ Jepson, Tim; Porges, Larry (4 November 2014). National Geographic London Book of Lists: The City's Best, Worst, Oldest, Greatest, and Quirkiest. National Geographic Society. p. 315. ISBN 978-1-4262-1385-4.
  3. ^ "John F Kennedy bust paid for by Sunday Telegraph readers removed after being vandalised". cetusnews. Archived from the original on 26 August 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  4. ^ "London’s JFK statue – update" at Hyde Park Now website, undated.
  5. ^ a b Ward-Jackson, Philip (2011), Public Sculpture of Historic Westminster: Volume 1, Public Sculpture of Britain, Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, pp. 154–155
  6. ^ "John F Kennedy in Marylebone Road". London Remembers. Archived from the original on 6 December 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  7. ^ "John F. Kennedy bust – Military Park – Newark, NJ, USA". Waymarking.com. Retrieved 30 November 2014.