Churchill's Paintings Get First Major Retrospective at Wallace Collection

The Wallace Collection in London is hosting 'Winston Churchill: The Painter,' the first major posthumous retrospective of the former British prime minister's artwork, running from May 23 to November 29, 2026. The exhibition features nearly 60 still lifes and landscapes, many from private collections rarely shown publicly. Churchill took up painting in 1915 after the Dardanelles disaster, using art as therapy for his 'black dog' melancholy. His works, influenced by Impressionists like Monet and post-Impressionists like Cézanne and Renoir, focus on serene landscapes of the Mediterranean, Marrakech, and the French Riviera, deliberately avoiding portraits and war themes except for a 1938 view of Walmer Beach with a cannon. The exhibition highlights Churchill's lesser-known artistic side, contrasting with his wartime persona.