Art or stunt? Trump sketch sells for $16,000 at auction

World
Europe

A black-marker sketch of the Empire State Building by US President Donald Trump was sold for 16,000 US dollars at auction.

The 12-by-9 inch depiction of the New York landmark was created by Trump for a charity auction in Florida in 1995 when he opened the Mar-a-Lago estate, according to Julien's Auctions where the auction took place in Los Angeles on Thursday.

The drawing, with his signature, fetched less than 100 US dollars at that time. It was estimated to go for 8,000 to 12,000 US dollars before the auction. But the final bid was way more than experts could have expected.

A sketch of the Empire State Building drawn by US President Donald Trump /Julien's Auctions via AP

The buyer has not been named. A portion of the proceeds of the sale are going to benefit a National Public Radio station in Connecticut, Julien's Auctions said.

Long feud

Trump's history with the iconic building began in 1994 when he announced that he'd acquired 50 percent stake in the building's title.

In the following year, he launched a 100-million-US dollar lawsuit against the Empire State Building Associates – a holding company run by real estate tycoons Harry Helmsley and Peter Malkin at the time – which had control over the tower until 2075.

Empire State Building in Manhattan, New York City, US /CFP Photo

Trump claimed the company violated terms of its release and turned it into a "second-rate, rodent-infested" tower, according to New York Daily News. The case was dismissed by a state judge, calling it "totally devoid of merit."

Trump's effort was countersued by two companies owned by Helmsley which led to a lengthy battle. In 2002, Trump sold his stakes to Malkin and Helmsley for 57.5 million US dollars, making a profit of 15 million US dollars.

Any artistic merits?

"What's most interesting is that Trump's general speaking style of big gestures and no details extends to his drawing skill," commented David Coleman, a freelance writer and critic, in an interview with the Newsweek.

"It’s more proof that Trump's fans will buy anything he shovels," he added.

The comments seem to have found common ground on Twitter as users teasing that first-grade students could do better.

Screenshots via Twitter

"My 3 yr old grand kid could do better and have good use of color draw within the lines," wrote @REMOVEdontrump.

"Dear gods…he's a failed art student too??" @melstery asked.

"A masterpiece. @potus please resign as president and work on creating such masterpieces. History will recall you kindly." @ronronusa teased.

It was not Trump's first sketch work that went to auction since he ascended to the presidency. In July, a similar sized drawing of the Manhattan skyline was sold for 29,000 US dollars at Nate D. Sanders Auctions.

10072km