A new exhibition will open at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire this February, focusing on the artworks of Winston Churchill.

Coast Scene on the Riviera

The exhibition, Art and the Churchill Family, will open on 10th February and will run until 22nd April 2019.

Art and the Churchill Family

At the exhibition, visitors will have a unique opportunity to view a collection of Churchill’s original paintings that will be on display in the Long Library. 

A lover of art and a talented artist himself, Churchill spent much time painting the vistas of the Palace, along with inspiring places that he visited during his lifetime.

The main works are oil on canvas impressionist inspired landscapes, painted whilst Churchill was on holiday in the South of France and Morocco. Works include: ‘Marrakech’, ‘Coast Scene on the Riviera’ and ‘Boat in Cannes Harbour’.

Churchill, art and Blenheim

Winston Spencer Churchill, born at Blenheim Palace in 1874, always held a special affection for his birthplace and was a regular visitor to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was the inspiration behind a lot of his works.

“Painting came to my rescue in a most trying time,” Churchill would later write in the 1920s, in essays that would become a small book, Painting as a Pastime.

The hobby became, for the great British statesman, a source of delight and a respite from the stress of his career. 

He would eventually create over 550 paintings, crediting the practice with helping him to hone his visual acuity, powers of observation, and memory. 

The pastime would flourish, and perhaps even aid him, as he furthered his career as a world-renowned writer, orator, and political leader.

Group information

GTOs looking to take a group to Blenheim Palace can contact 01993 815600 or groups@blenheimpalace.com for more details.

For more information, visit www.blenheimpalace.com. 

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