Artworks by Kennedy and Trump up for auction

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One piece of art features a row of tall New York City buildings rising above squiggly green trees and bright-yellow taxi cabs that wind through the streets below. The other shows a collection of homes with slanted roofs packed along a scenic waterfront, with several sailboats bobbing nearby.

Both were created by US presidents and both are for sale to the public.

Texas-based Heritage Auction has put artwork by President Trump and former president John F. Kennedy up for auction in Dallas this week. The respective works of art are part of the company’s Americana & Political auction being held on Dec. 2.

Pre-bidding wars for the items have already erupted online. So far, the Kennedy painting — he created the scene of the houses along the ocean, slightly reminiscent of a Cape Cod getaway — is fetching far more than the sitting president’s own illustration.

The current high bid for Kennedy’s piece, a signed oil and pencil painting on canvas board, still in its original frame, stands at $42,000, with several days left before the live auction. The painting was consigned by Victoria Gifford Kennedy, widow of Robert and Ethel Kennedy’s son, Michael, according to a description on Heritage Auction’s website. It comes with a note written by Ethel Kennedy to her daughter-in-law.

Trump’s drawing, a busy city landscape emblazoned with a bold, golden signature at the bottom, was donated for charity to the St. Francis Food Pantries and Shelters in 2005. The organization holds an annual gala called “Doodles for Hunger,” where actors, artists, and celebrities produce “doodles” to help raise money for a good cause.

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