A painting in oil by Sir Winston Churchill, titled Marrakech (circa 1935), is set to beauctionedat Heffel Auction House in Toronto on November 19. The 24 x 20-inch painting, valued between $400,000 and $600,000 CAD (approximately 2.6 to 3.9 million Moroccan dirhams), was initially given by Churchill to his wife, Lady Clementine, who subsequently presented it to the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1956.
Featured in multiple reference books, including Churchill: His Paintings by David Coombs, this piece showcases the former British Prime Minister’s strong connection to Morocco, where he created several landscape paintings during his visits. The artwork, which portrays three women next to the medina walls of Marrakech and palm trees, will be displayed at Heffel Toronto before the auction.
As a matter of record, Churchill’s paintings inspired by Morocco have achieved unprecedented prices in recent years. His work “Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque” (1943), previously owned by actress Angelina Jolie, was sold for $11.5 million at Christie’s London in 2021. Created following the 1943 Anfa Conference in Casablanca and presented to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, this artwork depicts the Marrakech mosque at sunset, a city Churchill once called «the most beautiful place in the world».






Leave a comment