Sir Winston Spencer Churchill was born November 30th, 1874 at Blenheim Palace, home of his grandfather John, 7th Duke of Marlborough. Winston was the elder son of Lord Randolph Churchill and Jennie Jerome of New York.

Churchill was named by Time Magazine as one of the most important people of the 20 th century, and was an accomplished and prolific artist.

Churchill began painting in his 40s following a personal and political disaster, The Dardanelles Campaign in 1915. He is quoted as telling the painter Sir John Rothenstein: "If it weren't for painting, I couldn't live; I couldn't bear the strain of things." In 1948, he was bestowed the prestigious recognition of Honorary Academician Extraordinary by the Royal Academy of Arts. He painted roughly 500 artworks, approximately 350 which are housed in Churchill's garden Studio at Chartwell. Only a few artworks were given to friends and remain in private collections.

Sir Winston Churchill's paintings are a collection of scenes that were captured during his lifetime. They show the old Surrey farmhouse where he began to paint. They also show scenes form England, Scotland, many views of the French Riviera, the Italian Alps, and Morocco. He also captured scenes from his vacations in Belgium, Canada, Switzerland, and the United States.

Works by Churchill can be found in the permanent collections of the following museums:

• The Royal Academy, London
• Tate Gallery, London
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
• The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
• Dallas Museum of Art
• Museum of Art Sao Paolo, Brazil

Note: A portion of this biography was extracted with permission from the book "Sir Winston Churchill - His Life And His Paintings." The book tells the story of Churchill's life and his paintings. This book illustrates all of Churchill's known paintings; it also contains two of his articles: "Painting as a Pastime" and "Hobbies," which were never been published together as complete works. Published with full cooperation of Sir Winston's family, this is the only definitive book on Churchill's paintings.

To learn more about or to order this incredible hardcover book, please click here.