Oil painting of Winston Churchill

Rédigé par Alain dans Le coin du collectionneur

Recently, my aunt over in the States was clearing out her cellar and she came across this old oil painting of Winston Churchill that my dad painted during the 1950's. She has kindly sent it over for me to keep.

My love of France has come from him and he spent several months in Lyon during the 1950's before meeting my Mum.
Sadly he died when I was only 4 years old and I have few memories of him, but his love of France lives on - in me.

The history of the portrait of Winston Churchill below is cloudy. I have recently found out that it is 'copy' of the original painting by Graham Sutherland painted in 1954. The painting was a present from the House of Commons to Churchill on his 80th birthday. Churchill hated the painting and instead of being hung in the Houses of Parliament as intended Churchill took the painting back to Chartwell and put it out of sight in his cellar.

After Churchill's death his wife Clementine had the painting destroyed. My father's painting below would have been painted in between 1955 and 1956 and it is a close up of Churchill taken from Sutherland's full length painting which I believe never went on show except for its acceptance ceremony at Westminster Hall. How my father ever got to see it I have no idea.


Ci-dessous quelques photos de mon père à Lyon pendant les années cinquante






Centre d'histoire de la Résistance et de la déportation à Lyon (Lien)