Monet Gifted to Churchill to Go on Display in London

Monet Painting Gifted to Churchill Is on Display in London

“Charing-Cross Bridge in London” by Claude Monet. A similar painting to the one gifted to Churchill. (Photo: Google Arts & Culture via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

Anyone who watched Netflix's The Crown will remember the aging Prime Minister Winston Churchill, played by John Lithgow, reacting violently to a portrait of himself. Churchill was many things—a war hero, a politician, an aristocrat—including an enthusiastic painter and admirer of the arts. In fact, the series even captures Churchill sitting in his garden as he whiles away his troubles painting on a canvas.

In his youth, Churchill learned to paint by studying masters such as Claude Monet. Later in life, when Churchill was going through a difficult time as he fell out of power, he received a precious Monet painting as a gift. That painting, which looks across the Thames, is now on display in London in a monumental exhibit of Monet's works.

While Winston Churchill led Britain through World War II, his party fell out of power after the war, and he was not reelected. In 1949, a literary agent named Emery Reves gifted a painting to Churchill as a symbol of his admiration and in an effort to cheer the politician up. A note accompanying the gift explained the giver's search for the perfect present for Churchill, whose favorite artist he knew was Monet. While younger, artist John Singer Sargent had taught Churchill painting. The portraitist recommended Churchill mimic the skills of the greats to train his hand, and this love for Monet developed through study and appreciation.

Reves' letter referred to the subject matter of the painting, concluding, “My very best wishes for a happy 1950 during which I hope you will dissipate the fog that shrouds Westminster.” In the painting, one of many featuring the Thames and painted while Monet visited England, the river flows across a yellowed landscape. The yellow speaks of smog as it enshrouds the Palace of Westminster, which holds the Houses of Parliament. Across the foreground stretches Charing Cross Bridge. It is a sight that depicts the political heart of Britain. While painted in 1902, the fogs of the work may have spoken to the usurped minister.

The painting is now worth millions of dollars and is held by the National Trust at Chartwell, the Churchill family home. It is now part of a new exhibit in London at the Courtauld Gallery entitled Monet and London. Views of the Thames. This exhibit is the first to show Monet's collection of works depicting London in the city itself. The exhibit will be on view until January 19, 2025. Meanwhile, the country home of Churchill boasts history, further art from the family collections, and a sweet ginger cat named Jock who patrols the property to welcome visitors.