Sculpture of Ben Franklin, Kansas City

This bronze statue of Benjamin Franklin by American artist George Lundeen has graced Kansas City's Country Club Plaza since 1990. Located in a small courtyard in front of retail shops, the sculpture features one of America’s most notable Founding Fathers seated on a bench reading the Bill of Rights, accompanied by a cane and two pigeons. Franklin was a political figure, philosopher, author, inventor, and public servant. His relaxed position invites bystanders to sit with him.

This sculpture was a gift to Kansas City by Miller and Jeanette Nichols and was dedicated in 1990. A plaque on a nearby light post bears the inscription “Benjamin Franklin in Celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Adoption of the Bill of Rights in 1971.”

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) is regarded as one of the most extraordinary public servants in United States history. He was an American statesman, author, scientist, inventor, and philosopher. He founded the Pennsylvania Gazette, wrote the famed Poor Richard's Almanac, and promoted public services including a library, fire department, hospital, and an academy that is now known as the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, he invented bifocal glasses, the odometer, and the Franklin Stove. In 1753, the American was awarded the Copley Medal, Britain's most prestigious award in science, for his pioneering experiments in the field of electricity. Franklin's political contributions include serving as a member and delegate to the Albany Congress, the colonial legislature, the Second Continental Congress, the Freemasons, a diplomat to France, and most notably was a member of the committee who drafted the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. The amendments of the Constitution that came to be known as the Bill of Rights were approved by the House and Senate in 1789. Ten of the original twelve amendments were ratified by three-fourths of the states by December 15, 1791, and as a result of ratification, they became part of the Constitution.  

American artist George Lundeen, the owner of Lundeen Sculptures in Loveland, Colorado, completed this sculpture of Ben Franklin in 1989 and it was dedicated the following year.

Lundeen was a Fulbright-Hays Scholar, studying at the Academia de Belle Arte in Florence, Italy, and obtained a Bachelor of Art from Hastings College in Nebraska and a Masters in Fine Art from the University of Illinois. He established his Colorado-based studio in the mid-1970s and is a member of the National Sculpture Society and National Academy of Design. His works can be seen in private and public locations throughout the country.

Ben Franklin, City of Fountains. Accessed December 28th 2021. https://cityoffountains.org/ben-franklin/.

Wood, Gordon. Benjamin Franklin, Britannica. Accessed December 28th 2021. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Benjamin-Franklin.

George Lundeen - Biography, Lundeen Sculpture. Accessed December 28th 2021. https://lundeensculpture.com/bio-george/.