John F. Kennedy’s Endearing Watercolors of Boats, Painted on the Campaign Trail, Are Heading to Auction. See Them Here

George W. Bush wasn’t the only
president who painted.

Rarely seen and never exhibited watercolors by John F. Kennedy,
made while on the campaign trail in Brooklyn in 1960, are headed to
auction as part of one of the most comprehensive collections of
memorabilia dedicated to the late president ever assembled. The two
paintings were gifted to a Beverly Hills-based socialite who
donated generously to Kennedy’s campaign. They capture Marine
Bridge at Sheepshead Bay, a testament to the president’s fondness
for sailing, and are being offered as a pair with an estimate of
$40,000. Accompanying photographs show Kennedy working at an easel,
with his wife Jacqueline watching over his shoulder.

The entire trove, offered by the Boston-based RR Auction,
consists of hundreds of objects spanning the president’s childhood
as a student at Choate Academy all the way through his time as
president. It was amassed by Ronnie Paloger, a California-based
collector who at one point had an extensive collection of Muhammad
Ali memorabilia, which he sold 1997 before turning to Kennedy’s
wares.

Paloger spent years tracking down the JFK objects, which he
hopes will be bought en masse and donated to the John F Kennedy
Presidential Library and Museum, with bids for the collection
expected to climb past $1.5 million. He said he wishes he could
donate the collection himself, but the proceeds will fund his
retirement.

A closely watched lot is the three-page handwritten statement
announcing Kennedy’s intention to run for president dated January
2, 1960, estimated at $200,000.

In a statement, Paloger says that the president’s death in 1963
had a profound affect on him and fueled his interest in collecting
artifacts from his life. The sale includes a cloth banner from
Kennedy’s trip to Dallas that was displayed as part of the
motorcade procession before his assassination, as well as a
commemorative jigsaw puzzle showing Jackie receiving a bouquet of
red roses in her iconic pink suit with matching pillbox hat. Two
rare original photographs show the aftermath of the shooting, as
Lyndon B Johnson is sworn in aboard Air Force One, with Jackie
standing in her then-ruined suit next to him.

Bidding begins on January 17 and runs through January 23. See
highlights from the auction below.

The post John F. Kennedy’s Endearing Watercolors of Boats,
Painted on the Campaign Trail, Are Heading to Auction. See Them
Here appeared first on artnet News.