Painting of Winston Churchill by Artist Whose Work He Hated Is up for Auction 

Matthew Floris, a Sotheby's employee poses with a portrait, a surviving study of Winston Churchill in the bedroom where Churchill was born at Blenheim Palace, north of Oxford, home to the Duke of Marlborough and Churchill's family home, on April 16, 2024. (AFP)
Matthew Floris, a Sotheby's employee poses with a portrait, a surviving study of Winston Churchill in the bedroom where Churchill was born at Blenheim Palace, north of Oxford, home to the Duke of Marlborough and Churchill's family home, on April 16, 2024. (AFP)
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Painting of Winston Churchill by Artist Whose Work He Hated Is up for Auction 

Matthew Floris, a Sotheby's employee poses with a portrait, a surviving study of Winston Churchill in the bedroom where Churchill was born at Blenheim Palace, north of Oxford, home to the Duke of Marlborough and Churchill's family home, on April 16, 2024. (AFP)
Matthew Floris, a Sotheby's employee poses with a portrait, a surviving study of Winston Churchill in the bedroom where Churchill was born at Blenheim Palace, north of Oxford, home to the Duke of Marlborough and Churchill's family home, on April 16, 2024. (AFP)

A portrait of Winston Churchill by an artist whose work the British leader loathed went on display Tuesday at Churchill’s birthplace ahead of an auction in June.

The painting by modernist artist Graham Sutherland was made in preparation for a larger portrait that Churchill hated and which was later destroyed — an episode recounted in the TV series “The Crown.”

The surviving oil-on-canvas study shows Churchill’s head in profile against a dark background. It is expected to sell for between 500,000 pounds and 800,000 pounds ($622,000 and $995,000) at Sotheby’s in London on June 6.

Sutherland was commissioned by the Houses of Parliament to paint Churchill to mark his 80th birthday in 1954. The full-length portrait was unveiled in Parliament that year, with Churchill calling it, with a smirk, “a remarkable example of modern art.”

Churchill is said to have complained that the painting “makes me look half-witted, which I ain’t.” It was delivered to his home and never seen again. The Churchill family disclosed years later that it had been destroyed.

Its fate was recreated with poetic license in an episode of “The Crown” in which Churchill’s wife, Clementine, watches the painting go up in flames.

Andre Zlattinger, Sotheby’s head of modern British and Irish art, said that in the surviving study, “Churchill is caught in a moment of absent-minded thoughtfulness, and together with the backstory of its creation, it gives the impression of a man truly concerned with his image.”

Sotheby’s put the picture on public display inside the room where Churchill was born 150 years ago at Blenheim Palace, a country mansion 60 miles (100 kilometers) northwest of London. Visitors can see it there until Sunday. It will go on show at Sotheby’s offices in New York May 3-16 and London May 25-June 5.



Saudi Libraries Commission Exhibits Rare Manuscripts at Saudi Cultural Week in Qatar

The commission is offering visitors a unique display of rare manuscripts on significant chapters of the Kingdom's cultural and intellectual heritage.  (SPA)
The commission is offering visitors a unique display of rare manuscripts on significant chapters of the Kingdom's cultural and intellectual heritage. (SPA)
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Saudi Libraries Commission Exhibits Rare Manuscripts at Saudi Cultural Week in Qatar

The commission is offering visitors a unique display of rare manuscripts on significant chapters of the Kingdom's cultural and intellectual heritage.  (SPA)
The commission is offering visitors a unique display of rare manuscripts on significant chapters of the Kingdom's cultural and intellectual heritage. (SPA)

The Saudi Libraries Commission is participating in the Saudi Cultural Week events, organized in Doha by the Saudi Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the Qatari Ministry of Culture.

The event aims to showcase Saudi culture in its various forms and boost international cultural exchange as part of Saudi Vision 2030, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Tuesday.

The commission is offering visitors a unique display of rare manuscripts on significant chapters of the Kingdom's cultural and intellectual heritage.

It is also showcasing its pioneering initiatives that have helped enrich the cultural landscape through various programs and projects aimed at developing the library sector and facilitating access to knowledge.

This participation aligns with the commission's efforts to strengthen the presence of Saudi culture on the international stage, foster cultural ties between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and provide a new outlet for Gulf and international audiences.

The Saudi Cultural Week serves as an opportunity to strengthen cultural cooperation between the two countries and highlight the role of libraries in preserving cultural heritage. This will help in achieving the goals of the National Strategy for Culture and boosting the Kingdom's position as a global cultural hub.