Riviera Scene by Sir Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Churchill
1874-1965 | British

Riviera Scene

Signed en verso "Riviera Scene / W.S.C."
Oil on canvas board

Immediately recognizable as one of the most important statesmen in world history, Sir Winston Churchill also pursued the art of painting for more than 40 years. This pastime resulted in an impressive collection of works that give insight into the personal life of this tremendously important man.

A particularly fine piece from the statesman’s oeuvre, this work entitled Riviera Scene is far larger than his typical works, this landscape was painted in 1935 at the residence of Viscount Rothermere in the South of France. Rothermere, the famed leader of the Daily Mail, played a pivotal role in supporting Churchill's career both politically and personally. Further elevated by its provenance as a gift to one of America's wealthiest men, this treasure is a remarkable find.

Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Churchill often withdrew to the French Riviera, and La Dragonnière was one of his favorite retreats. Politically, Rothermere backed Churchill's early warnings about the need for RAF rearmament in the 1930s, using the Mail to amplify Churchill's calls for military preparedness.

In this stunning canvas, Churchill invites his viewer into his seaside escape. The masterful composition employs the well-balanced arrangement of a garden path and meticulously curated flora with the path serving as a visual guide, leading the viewer towards the distant trees and coastline. The interplay of heavy shadows and golden light creates a vivid yet tranquil atmosphere, capturing the heart of the Riviera as the heat of the day wanes.

Riviera Scene was later gifted from Churchill to George Huntington Hartford II, the heir to the A&P supermarket fortune and a significant patron of the arts. Later, Hartford's estate loaned the painting for public viewing, and it was featured in the distinguished People to People's A Tribute to Winston Churchill exhibition at the 1965 New York World's Fair. Riviera Scene is signed on the back by the great Prime Minister. Churchill left the great majority of his works unsigned, making this composition even more special. 

Painting was a dominating passion for Churchill in the last half of his life. There is little evidence that he had any artistic training prior to his 40s. In fact, his wife Clementine mentioned at one point that before he began painting, Churchill had hardly visited an art museum, much less created art. Churchill first began painting 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, Churchill was bestowed the prestigious recognition of Honorary Academician Extraordinary by the Royal Academy of Arts, where this work would later be exhibited in 1959. He painted roughly 500 works, approximately 350 of which are housed in Churchill’s garden studio at Chartwell. Only a few others were given to friends and remain in private collections.

Circa 1930

Canvas: 18 1/8" high by 26 1/4" wide (46.04 x 66.68 cm)
Framed: 26 5/8” high by 34 3/4” wide by 2 5/8” deep (67.63 x 88.27 cm)

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Exhibited:
A Tribute to Winston Churchill,1965 World’s Fair, New York.

References:
Sir Winston Churchill: His Life and His Paintings, Dorset, 2011, by David Coombs and M. Churchill, C264, fig. 189, p. 103, illustrated

Provenance:
Gifted by the artist to George Huntington Hartford
Sale, Sotheby's, London 20th April 1966
Sale, Sotheby's, New York 3rd May 1973
Sale, Christie's, London 17th June 1977
Private Collection
M.S. Rau, New Orleans