Check Out Ten Never-Before-Seen Paintings by Winston Churchill

During his downtime, Winston Churchill had a hobby: The celebrated statesman was an avid amateur painter.

Now, an exhibition in California is spotlighting the former British prime minister’s artistic side. Ten of his works are on display at “Winston Churchill: Making Art, Making History,” which is open at Heather James Fine Art in Palm Desert.

“Not only was Churchill one of the greatest statesmen of the modern era, but his personal foray into painting showcased his inner workings with resulting artworks that are technically adept and aesthetically beautiful,” says Jim Carona, the gallery’s co-founder, in a statement. “These works read like pages out of his diary, mementos of the moments and places that were meaningful to one of the most important men of his day.”

The ten images, which have never been publicly displayed, come from the largest private collection of Churchill’s works outside of the United Kingdom. They include landscapes, seascapes, a still life and an interior portrait—all bursting with vibrant color.

Churchill took up painting in 1915, when he was 40, according to the gallery’s website. Following a disastrous military campaign during World War I, his sister-in-law, Lady Gwendoline, handed him a brush and suggested he try his hand at art.

Painting became a passion that Churchill would return to for the rest of his life. He took inspiration from Impressionists and Post-Impressionists such as John Singer Sargent and Paul Cézanne. Like many of them, he enjoyed painting en plein air.

The self-taught artist was open to experimenting with new styles and dedicated to improving his technique. In his 1948 book Painting as a Pastime, he described how he meticulously honed his craft.

I had hitherto painted the sea flat, with long, smooth strokes of mixed pigment in which the tints varied only by gradations. Now, I must try to represent it by innumerable small separate lozenge-shaped points and patches of color—often pure color—so that it looked more like a tessellated pavement than a marine picture.

He also reflected on the experience of coming to painting later in life.

To have reached the age of 40 without ever handling a brush or fiddling with a pencil, to have regarded with mature eye the painting of pictures of any kind as a mystery, to have stood agape before the chalk of the pavement artist, and then suddenly to find oneself plunged in the middle of a new and intense form of interest and action with paints and palettes and canvases, and not to be discouraged by results, is an astonishing and enriching experience. I hope it may be shared by others.

The politician rarely sold his works. Instead, he kept them in his home or gave them to friends, colleagues and even some famous figures. Recipients of Churchill’s work included Elizabeth II and several American presidents, such as Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman, among others.

“Winston Churchill: Making Art, Making History” isn’t the California gallery’s first showcase of the statesman’s work. Six years ago, the gallery, which has a close working relationship with the Churchill family, staged a different show featuring ten of his paintings.

Churchill created over 500 artworks in his lifetime. According to the gallery, he painted about half of them in the 1930s—just before his first term as prime minister began in 1940. Some even believe that his art influenced his work.

“Although painting was just a hobby, Churchill learned new skills which he used in his political and diplomatic life,” said Duncan Sandys, Churchill’s great-grandson, in a 2018 statement. “It gave him a sanctuary during adversity and, I believe, made him more effective in 1940 as Hitler prepared to invade Britain.”

“Winston Churchill: Making Art, Making History” is on view at Heather James Fine Art in Palm Desert, California, through December 31.

Julia Binswanger | READ MORE

Julia Binswanger is a freelance arts and culture reporter based in Chicago. Her work has been featured in WBEZ, Chicago magazine, Rebellious magazine and PC magazine.