Hitler vs Churchill: Who Was the Better Artist?

A century-old watercolour by Adolf Hitler, 'The Old Town Hall', sold at Weidler auction house in Nuremberg for £102,000. The work, dated 1914 or 1915, depicts the Munich registrar's office and was consigned by two elderly sisters whose grandfather bought it in 1916. The buyer is anonymous. Meanwhile, Winston Churchill's 1932 canvas 'The Goldfish Pool at Chartwell' sold at Sotheby's for a record price, exceeding its £400,000–£600,000 estimate. Churchill, who started painting at age 40, completed over 500 oil paintings. He studied under John Lavery and William Nicholson. Hitler, rejected by the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, later used his position to denounce modern art through the 'Degenerate Art' exhibitions in Munich, which attracted over a million visitors. Hitler's paintings are collected for historical rather than artistic value; about 800 of his works are known to exist. Churchill's art is considered genuinely skilled, with a Monet-esque quality. He once exhibited five paintings in Paris under the pseudonym Charles Morin, selling four for £30 each. The Wallace Collection in London is hosting 'Winston Churchill: The Painter' until 29 November 2026.