Angelina Jolie to sell Sir Winston Churchill's wartime painting ‘Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque’
- 08 Feb 2021
Gulf Today Report
Actress Angelina Jolie is selling the only painting created by Sir Winston Churchill during World War II for an estimated £1.5 million to £2.5 million (Dhs7.7m to Dhs12.6m).
Jolie, 45, bought the painting with her former husband, Brad Pitt, in 2011 for an undisclosed amount. The pair divorced in 2019.
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The painting, “Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque,” is now being sold by the Jolie Family Collection as part of Christie’s Modern British Art Evening Sale on March 1 in London.
Churchill, an accomplished amateur artist who served as prime minister of the UK gifted the painting to US president Franklin D. Roosevelt, according to Christie’s.
The painting is the only work that Churchill created during the Second World War, executing the painting in Marrakech following the Casablanca Conference in January 1943.
Churchill invited Franklin D. Roosevelt to join him in Marrakech the day after the conference concluded, motivated by his desire to share the views of the city and the light at sunset, which he so revered, with Roosevelt.
The view impressed Roosevelt so much that Churchill decided to capture the scene for him as a memento of their excursion.
This act was seen not only as an indication of their friendship but of the special relationship between the UK and the USA.
Nick Orchard, Head of Department, Modern British Art, Christie's said in a statement: “It is the only work that Churchill painted during the war, perhaps encouraged by the recent progress made by the Allies in what he considered to be one of the most beautiful countries he had encountered.
“Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque is therefore arguably the best painting by Winston Churchill due to the significance of the subject matter to him, and the fact that it highlights the importance of the friendship between the two leaders.”
Sir Winston Churchill began painting scenes of Morocco after being encouraged to visit the country by his painting tutor, Sir John Lavery.
Upon his first visit in 1935, he felt that the light and scenery were unrivalled, creating some 45 paintings of the country.
