Winston Churchill: The Painter at The Wallace Collection

Universally renowned as an inspirational statesman, writer, orator and the man who led Britain to victory in the Second World War (1939-45), what may be less well known about Winston Churchill (1874-1965), was that he was also an enthusiastic amateur painter.

In this major retrospective and first exhibition of Churchill’s creative oeuvre here in the UK since his death, the Wallace Collection will bring together more than 50 paintings that represent the very best of the former Prime Minister’s output. Half of the loans are coming from private collections and have rarely, if ever, been seen before in public. The exhibition will also showcase a large group of works on loan from Chartwell, Churchill’s family home for over forty years of his life and now managed by the National Trust, a major lender to the exhibition.

The relationship between the Wallace Collection and Churchill dates back to the Second World War when, in 1942 the museum hosted the Artists Aid Russia exhibition, which was staged to raise funds for his wife, Clementine Churchill’s Aid to Russia Fund.

Following a chronological approach, Winston Churchill: The Painter will span his activity as an artist from his first attempts during the First World War (1914-18) through to the 1960s, shortly before his death.

Churchill’s own paintings will be complemented by a small group of loans of works by his artistic mentors and friends, such as Sir John Lavery (1856-1941) and Sir William Nicholson (1872-1949), which will help visitors to explore his artistic development.

Throughout the show, Churchill’s paintings will be interspersed with photographs and quotes taken from his own correspondence and writing on art, Painting as a Pastime (1921/2).

The Wallace Collection is grateful for the support of the Churchill family and Churchill Heritage Ltd in the development of this exhibition.