Winston Churchill's legacy as Britain's wartime prime minister is well established, but a new exhibition at London's Wallace Collection sheds light on a lesser-known facet of his life: his prolific output as a painter. Titled 'Churchill on Canvas,' the show brings together more than 50 of his works, many of which have rarely been seen in public, offering a fresh perspective on the man who led the United Kingdom through World War II.
From Political Crisis to Artistic Discovery
Churchill first picked up a paintbrush in 1915, a period of personal and political turmoil. As First Lord of the Admiralty, he had been deeply involved in the planning of the Gallipoli campaign, which ended in heavy casualties and forced his resignation from government. 'This was a very difficult time in his life,' said Lucy Davis, co-curator of the exhibition, in an interview with France's AFP news agency. 'He suddenly finds himself with all this unwanted leisure time, and he discovered painting as a way of releasing the stress, the anguish that the situation had caused him.'
The exhibition presents Churchill's works chronologically, beginning with his earliest efforts under the guidance of the renowned artist John Lavery. These are followed by canvases painted in the 1920s at Chartwell, the country house in Kent where Churchill lived with his family. Largely self-taught, he quickly developed a passion for landscape painting, drawing inspiration from holidays in the south of France and Morocco to create brightly coloured canvases dominated by blues and ochres.
Churchill 'saw painting as a spur to travel' and 'just loved the light and warmth and atmosphere, which he captures so beautifully,' Davis added. A whole room in the exhibition is dedicated to canvases inspired by trips to Morocco, including 'The Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque,' the only painting Churchill completed during World War II. Originally a gift to US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the work later belonged to Hollywood star Angelina Jolie until it was sold at auction in 2021.
Despite his role as a wartime leader, Churchill showed little interest in depicting current world events in his art. According to Davis, 'He was a wartime leader. He was known for these very stirring wartime speeches. But in these paintings, you really see his joie de vivre, his witty side, his playful side.'
One notable exception is 'The Beach at Walmer,' painted in 1938 as fears of imminent war grew. The work shows bathers paddling at a sandy beach on England's southern coast, while in the foreground, a black cannon points toward the sea, suggesting a looming threat. The exhibition concludes with the postwar period, when Churchill, defeated in a general election, resumed painting and continued until his death in 1965. Some of his later works were displayed at the Royal Academy.
For those interested in exploring other artistic treasures, the Wallace Collection's exhibition complements recent recoveries like two 17th-century paintings by Lucas Valdés recovered in Seville after 95 years. Meanwhile, London's cultural scene continues to thrive, with institutions such as the Natural History Museum diving into Jurassic oceans and climate lessons.
