Doodle By Donald Trump, JFK-Signed Artwork Being Auctioned At Heritage

A signed doodle of the Manhattan skyline by President Donald Trump and a signed oil on canvas by former president John F. Kennedy is being auctioned at Heritage, the Dallas and Manhattan-based auction house.

The bidding will close on Dec. 2 where the two artworks will be on display at Heritage Auctions' Americana & Political Memorabilia auction, Dallas, where the bidders will decide on the fact as to which of the two presidents holds more value as an artist.

According to a report by New York Post, the oil on canvas by Kennedy has taken the lead with two bids amounting to $42,000. However, no bids were made for Trump’s skyline artwork.

It also said that even though no bids have come for the Trump artwork, it doesn’t mean that it is a flop.

Kennedy’s vividly colored artwork which was painted in 1955, when he was a senator of Massachusetts, consists of a group of homes which are in front of a water body and under a blue sky. The place depicted in the painting is believed to be South of France.

Kennedy’s niece, Victoria Gifford Kennedy received the artwork from John F. Kennedy’s brother, Robert Francis Kennedy and his wife Ethel after she married their son Michael.

In a note which accompanied the artwork, Ethel wrote to Victoria: “ I’m delighted that 25 years later, you’re still enjoying President Kennedy’s painting which I gave to you and Michael for your wedding .”

The note also goes on to describe the artwork. It said, “I believe it is a scene from the south of France which he [John F. Kennedy] gave to Bobby [Robert Francis Kennedy] and me for Christmas at Grammas in Palm Beach. For years it hung in our room at [The McLean, Virginia, Kennedy Compound] Hickory Hill.”

According to a TMZ report, the artwork for auction is one of the two known Kennedy paintings. This oil on canvas is expected to fetch around $50,000. The other painting is kept in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Columbia Point, Boston.

One of the reasons why Kennedy’s artwork might be more valuable than that of Trump’s is that it is rare in nature. Trump, on the other hand, has made quite a few doodles which were sold in other auctions.

According to a July report by Curbed, an American real-estate blog, a doodle of New York City skyline which consisted of the Trump Tower, made by Donald Trump reportedly fetched nearly $30,000 at an auction held in Los Angeles.

“We don’t see a lot of early bidding,” said Don Ackerman, the consignment director of Heritage auction house.

He then added, “Typically, a lot of people wait until the day of the auction or the night before.”

The current Trump doodle which is being auctioned consists of another New York City skyline made in green, brown, and yellow colors along with a vehicle filled streets of the city.

With regards to Trump’s skyline artwork, Ackerman said, "You have your intrinsic value and association value. As far as the Trump artwork is concerned, it’s strictly the associated value."

“He [Trump] actually spent quite a bit of time drawing it and he used three or four different colors .”

He also reportedly said that numerous people called to ask as to when they can buy a Trump original.