Winston Churchill: The Painter - Paperback

by Lucy Davis (Author), Xavier Bray (Contribution by), Allen Packwood (Contribution by)

A detailed study of Sir Winston Churchill's paintings, presenting a fascinating backdrop to the complex and poignant times he lived in.

Universally renowned as the statesman, writer and orator who led Britain to victory in World War II, Winston Churchill (1874-1965) is less often remembered as an amateur painter. Despite starting at the age of forty, painting became a passion that endured for the rest of his life.

Published to coincide with the Wallace Collection's exhibition of the same name, Winston Churchill: The Painter explores Churchill's activity as an artist from his first attempts during World War I through to the 1960s, shortly before his death. A careful selection of over fifty paintings from museums, institutions and private collections presents a fascinating backdrop to his times, politics, diplomacy and interests.

With essays by Allen Packwood, Katherine Carter, Barry Phipps, Paul Rafferty, Andrew Roberts and Alison Smith, the book also includes a small group of works by Churchill's artistic mentors and friends, such as Sir John Lavery (1856-1941) and Sir William Nicholson (1872-1949), which help explore his artistic development.

Churchill's paintings are ultimately representations of places he loved to visit and depict, but they are just as much autobiographical and provide an insight into his private life. Winston Churchill: The Painter invites readers to reconsider Churchill through the lens of his art.

Author Biography

Lucy Davis is Curator of Paintings at the Wallace Collection and is the author of Rubens: The Two Great Landscapes (2020) and co-editor of Reynolds: Experiments in Paint (2015). She was guest editor of a special thematic edition of Oud Holland (2023), 'New perspectives on Rubens's landscapes'. She has curated a number of displays and exhibitions at the Wallace Collection.