Inside The First Major Exhibition Of Winston Churchill’s Paintings Since His Death

A new exhibition opens at The Wallace Collection this weekend, the characterful townhouse museum once occupied by Sir Richard Wallace and filled with his extensive collection of paintings, furniture, arms and armour and porcelain across 25 galleries. Winston Churchill: The Painter is the first major exhibition of the wartime Prime Minister’s painting pastime.

Below, The Wallace Collection’s curator of paintings and the exhibition’s co-curator Dr Lucy Davis gives her insider guide to Winston Churchill: The Painter – including the surprising reason why The Wallace Collection has decided to present it.

Meet The Curator: Winston Churchill: The Painter

Sir Winston Churchill, The Beach at Walmer, 1938. (America’s National Churchill Museum at Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri © Churchill Heritage Ltd)

The Background

‘Our exhibition is the first major retrospective of Winston Churchill’s paintings since his death in 1965. It brings together just under sixty of his paintings that span forty years from 1915 until 1955, when he was already widely celebrated as a great amateur painter. It offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore a lesser-known side of a figure of huge historical significance,’ Dr Davis says.

‘It was our Director, Dr Xavier Bray, who had the idea of putting together this exhibition,’ she adds. ‘He worked closely with the Churchill family and specialists on Churchill’s paintings to select the best of well over 500 paintings – a very large oeuvre considering what a busy man Churchill was! I was then invited to co-curate the exhibition, first researching and then editing the catalogue. This confirmed for me the key role painting played in Churchill’s life. To evoke his presence in the galleries, we decided to include some of his painting materials in the exhibition.’

Of course, Winston Churchill is a rather controversial figure when his acts and opinions are filtered through a 21st century lens. When Britain’s statues faced rampant vandalisation in 2020, Churchill was top of the hit list. His most significant statue on Parliament Square was vandalised as recently as February 2026. So why is now the right time to take a look at his paintings? ’Churchill’s legacy as a politician and wartime leader will no doubt continue to be debated,’ Dr Davis says. ‘But it is our aim to show an overlooked dimension of his work, especially for people of my generation and younger: his practice as a painter.

‘We are the first national museum to take on Churchill the painter, since the Royal Academy’s retrospective of 1959,’ she adds. ‘The reason why so few know his work is because most paintings are now in private collections, apart from Chartwell, Churchill’s former home, now managed by the National Trust, which has lent generously to our show. The few that do belong to the nation are not always on public display.’

Sir Winston Churchill, The Goldfish Pool at Chartwell, 1932. (Private Collection © Churchill Heritage Ltd/ Matthew Hollow)

What’s On Display?

‘The exhibition is thematic and broadly chronological,’ Dr Davis explains. ‘It begins with how Churchill came to paint amid a professional and personal crisis, after the failure of the Dardanelles and Gallipoli campaigns of World War I. In his own words, “the Muse of Painting came to my rescue”. He embraced this passionate hobby for the rest of his life.

‘The first section First Attempts at Painting explores his initial efforts in the genre of portraiture and still life, working alongside his mentors John Lavery and William Nicholson. Also included here are three paintings he created in the front line trenches, working without an artistic mentor, which were his only depictions of warfare,’ she continues.

‘In “Churchill Paints Chartwell and England”, we enter a space of light and hope,’ Dr Davis continues. ‘Churchill painted places that he loved and made him happy: Chartwell, his country home with its spectacular views over the Kentish Weald, Blenheim, the great palace built for his ancestor John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, and the homes and gardens of his friends.

‘Churchill saw painting as, in his own words, “a spur to travel”. As a self-professed lover of bright colour, he escaped the grey British winters for the warmth and light of the French Riviera. In our section “Light, Atmosphere, Reflections”, we bring together his depictions of coastal landscapes and shimmering light effects.

‘As a subject for his painting, Churchill also loved the landscape of Morocco, which is the theme of our next section. Here we show Churchill’s evocations of the vibrant city of Marrakech, the sweeping panoramas of the valleys and mountains, and its lush gardens.

‘The theme of our final section “Honorary Academician Extraordinary” explores how Churchill’s paintings achieved public recognition. As an amateur Churchill was modest about his painting, and when he began to exhibit at the early date of 1921, he did so anonymously. He submitted his paintings to the annual Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 1947 on the condition that he submit anonymously, in the ‘outsider’ category. The following year, he was appointed the first (and surely last) Royal Academician Extraordinary,’ Dr Davis says.

Sir Winston Churchill, Cap d’Ail, Alpes-Maritimes, 1952. (Royal Academy of Arts, London © Churchill Heritage Ltd)

The Highlights

‘There are so many,’ Dr Davis says, ‘but in order to show his range of subject and style, I’ve chosen these five:

– John Lavery in His Studio: I think for a beginner this is a very complex painting, which shows not only his friend but also his reflection in the mirror.

– Cap d’Ail, Alpes-Maritimes, from La Capponcina for me is a real highlight because it shows Churchill’s instinct for a composition, and the colours are so fresh and lively.

– The Goldfish Pool at Chartwell: This is a stunning painting and requires us to really slow down and allow ourselves to be immersed in what we see.

– Les Zoraïdes, Cap Martin: I just want to dive into this pool. It is such a fun painting and Churchill’s sheer joy in painting it is really communicated through the horizontal dashes of paint.

– Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque: This painting has a wonderful story behind it. It is the only painting Churchill attempted during World War II, which he made as a token of friendship for President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Sir Winston Churchill, The Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque, 1943. (Private Collection © Churchill Heritage Ltd)

The Takeaway

‘This show will be a revelation to our visitors,’ Dr Davis says. ‘So many aspects of Churchill’s personality are revealed through his paintings, but most of all, his zest for life. I think he would have liked to see our visitors leaving with a smile on their faces, and inspired to pick up a paintbrush themselves!

‘If you saw Sunset over the Sea – Orange and Purple, would you ever guess it was by Sir Winston Churchill?’

The Wallace Collection

While You’re There…

‘During your visit, please enjoy our superb permanent collection, including Rembrandt’s portrait of his son Titus, believed to be a particular favourite of Winston Churchill’s, and our current special display, The Wallace Collection at War, which explores the history of Hertford House as a venue for exhibitions sanctioned by the Ministry for Information as part of the national war effort, including Artists Aid Russia, set up in aid of Clementine Churchill’s Aid to Russia Fund,’ Dr Davis recommends. ‘The discovery of the catalogue, signed by Winston himself, was one of the reasons why we decided to stage Winston Churchill: The Painter at the Wallace Collection.’

Visit

Winston Churchill: The Painter runs 23 May to 29 November 2026 at The Wallace Collection (Hertford House, Manchester Square, London W1U 3BN).

‘In my personal experience, museums are usually quietest at about 3pm. But make sure to book your tickets in advance, if possible, to avoid disappointment on the day,’ Dr Davis suggests.

Tickets from £6pp. Book at wallacecollection.org