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The figures sit together, their relationship communicated largely through their physical positioning.
Kennedy’s work attracted prominent collectors.
One of them was Kirk Douglas.
That means Catherine was not simply left a random sculpture from the house.
She received a work by an artist her father-in-law personally collected.
The Sculpture Had a Public History Too
The Friendship Bench was among Kennedy works associated with a 1998 public arts installation in Brea, California.
CODA Gallery’s biography of Kennedy lists it alongside works including Sympatico, Girl Reminiscing and Iron Bench as part of that public installation.
The same gallery continues to list The Friendship Bench among Kennedy’s works.
Kennedy’s sculptures can also be found in major public spaces.
Perhaps his best-known work is Spirit of Audrey, honoring Audrey Hepburn and located near UNICEF headquarters in New York.
He also created The Entertainer, a sculpture associated with the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
But Kennedy’s path toward sculpture was anything but conventional.
Kennedy Lived Several Careers Before Becoming a Full-Time Sculptor
Kennedy was born in Rangoon, Burma, now Yangon, Myanmar.
His father was Scottish, while his mother was Burmese.
During World War II, he spent time in northern Burma.
His childhood experiences later influenced the distinctive proportions of his sculptures.
He eventually served in the British Merchant Navy.
Then came journalism.
Kennedy worked as a photojournalist and opened an international news and photography agency on Fleet Street in London.
He later moved into other business ventures before eventually devoting himself more fully to sculpture.
After relocating with his family to Palm Springs in 1980, art became increasingly central to his life.