Hitler Watercolor Up for Sale in US

A still-life watercolor painting of flowers by a young Adolf Hitler will go under the hammer at a Los Angeles auction later this week.

The 1912 canvas, painted by the would-be Fuhrer when he was a struggling artist in his mid-20s, will be up for grabs at the Nate D. Sanders auction house on Thursday, The Local reported.

The 34.3- by 27.3 cm painting shows a blue ceramic pitcher holding orange, red and soft pink flowers — an unusual subject at a time when Hitler was focusing more on landscapes and architecture.

Bidding for the canvas will start at $30,000.

Hitler moved to Vienna as a young man to try to make it as an artist. Ironically, a Jewish art dealer believed in his talent and sold several of Hitler's paintings to wealthy local Jewish clients beginning in 1911.

When Adolf Hitler swept to power in 1933 his Jewish benefactor had his gallery seized and he himself was sent to the Lodz Ghetto in Poland, where he died in 1943, according to the Los Angeles auction house.