The Penguins

The Penguins ... 1967 ... Porphyry Granite

The Penguins, sculpted by Beniamino Bufano, ( sanitized bio here, word around town here) It is described as being in Sidney Walton Square, but in fact it stands on its own in a little landscaped patch nearby, with suspended walkways going overhead, and a sight path through to the next street. Bufano was local, so many of his works can still be seen around town and more than a few people knew him when. Since his passing, he's been labeled a San Francisco character ( # 5,267 ? ) but I think that's something of a disservice. He strikes me as a working artist doing what he had to do. While digging for links to him, I found an old public domain video, Shopping Can Be Fun, which shows him and his children ( @ 10'37" in) attending the installation of his sculpture at Hillsdale Mall in 1957. (That was when people wore suits and ties to go shopping - Really ... I'm not kidding.)