ATLANTA — Former President Jimmy Carter is a man with many hats, and one that he does not wear often is painter. But his work is raking in big bucks.
The Carter Center in Atlanta hosted a virtual, four-day auction last week that featured an original oil painting by the former president, a vintage Remington typewriter from Tom Hanks’ typewriter collection and a photo of Carter with former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, the Carter Center said in a news release. The photo is signed by all three of them.
In total, more than $2 million was raised for the Carter Center.
The painting, called “Cardinals”, was sold for $340,000.
“We are so grateful to everyone who watched our broadcast on Saturday night, bid on auction items, or donated funds,” said Carter Center CEO Paige Alexander. “These are difficult days for many people across the globe, and it means a lot that so many of you gave so generously to help make it possible for us to continue waging peace, fighting disease, and building hope.”
The donated money included a $100,000 challenge grant for the Mental Health Program, which generated an additional $123,000 for the program.
The auction item that received the highest number of bids was a baseball signed by Joe DiMaggio that ultimately sold for $3,055. Items that drew top bids included:
1. Autographed photo of five presidents: $38,500
2. Signed photograph of former President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama, and President Carter: $25,811
3. Three large wood bowls made by Russ Filbeck: $25,000
4. Vintage typewriter owned by Tom Hanks: $18,750
5. Autographed photo of six first ladies: $15,000
You can view all of the winning bids here
The Carters founded the center in 1982. It focuses on preventing and resolving conflicts, strengthening democracy and improving health.