Helen Cammock withdraws Churchill-critical video from National Portrait Gallery

Turner Prize-winning artist Helen Cammock removed her 40-minute video work 'Persistence' from the National Portrait Gallery in London after controversy over its criticism of Winston Churchill. The video, on temporary display since September 2025 as part of the 'Artists First: Contemporary Perspectives on Portraiture' exhibition, referred to 'the wilful starvation of the Indian population by Churchill' during the 1943 Bengal famine. Over 50 members of the House of Lords, including Churchill's grandson Nicholas Soames, signed a letter to NPG interim chair Shearer West denouncing the claim as 'foul and vile'. Historian Andrew Roberts, a Churchill biographer and peer, initiated the letter. Cammock stated she withdrew the work not lightly, asserting it 'won't hide and won't be afraid to speak'. The NPG emphasized the work was artistic, not documentary, and that views expressed do not reflect the gallery's. The Bengal famine killed an estimated three million people; historians debate Churchill's role, with journalist Madhushree Mukerjee arguing his decisions exacerbated the crisis. Richard Toye, professor at the University of Exeter, defended Cammock's right to free expression. The NPG board, including artist Jonathan Yeo and historian Simon Sebag Montefiore, was informed but did not discuss the withdrawal.