Bust of John F. Kennedy (1963)

I’ve often been told that Rebeck would do work for people who would then take the credit.  This bust of John F. Kennedy, found at the Mazzolini Artcraft Company, is the perfect example.  On the reverse of the bust, the signature, SA Rebeck, has been filled in.  Underneath is seen © G. D. 1963.  This stands for George Dickstein.  According to John Mazzolini, Dickstein was interested in baseball memorabilia.  Upon the death of John F. Kennedy, he tried to market a bust of the president.  The bust was to be made of a cheap, light, plastic material.  The busts were produced but there was a problem with the mold—the nose didn’t come out right.  The defective busts were sent to Mazzolini who cut off the nose and filled the bust with plaster (thus making it much heavier) and created a new nose.  The plastic bust is slightly different and much bigger than those pictured above.  John Mazzolini believes that Rebeck had something to do with that bust.  I am unsure whether the above busts were ever produced and marketed.  They are only a few inches high and the two in the picture are both mounted on the same plaster base.