Original Burned by Wife
Even Suspected a 'Conspiracy to Undermine Authority'
A remaining study of the portrait famously despised and burned by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874?1965) is coming up for auction.
On the 16th (local time), foreign media including The Times reported that a study of Churchill’s portrait painted by British artist Graham Sutherland will be auctioned at Sotheby’s on June 6. The British Parliament commissioned the renowned contemporary artist Sutherland to paint a portrait ahead of Churchill’s 80th birthday in November 1954. It is said that Churchill was so disgusted by the finished portrait that he almost did not attend the unveiling ceremony held in Parliament.
At the time, Churchill asked Sutherland whether he would paint him like an angel or like a bulldog. Sutherland reportedly replied that it depended on what Churchill showed him. Churchill repeatedly requested to see the work in progress but was refused. Later, upon seeing the finished work, he exploded in anger, calling it "horrible and malicious." It is said he even suspected a conspiracy to undermine his authority.
Churchill sarcastically referred to the portrait, which depicted him as frail and gloomy, as "a remarkable example of modern art." Senior Conservative Party officials smiled awkwardly. Ultimately, the portrait was not hung in the British Parliament but moved to his home and shoved into the basement. About a year later, under the direction of his wife Lady Clementine, Churchill’s personal secretary reportedly burned the portrait. Sutherland criticized this as an act of "vandalism (destruction of culture and art)."
At the time, Sutherland had painted several sketches and oil studies for the final work while working for several months at Churchill’s residence after being commissioned to create the portrait. The study being auctioned is one of these. Sutherland gave this study to art dealer Alfred Hekt, who kept it before passing it on to the current owner.
This study will be exhibited from today until the 21st in the room where Churchill was born at Blenheim Palace in the Cotswolds, then will travel to the United States for public viewing at Sotheby’s New York in May. Afterward, it will be exhibited at Sotheby’s London before going to auction. Andr? Zlatinger, Sotheby’s Head of British and Irish Modern and Contemporary Art, explained, "This work shows a less stern and softer side of Churchill that he hoped to be reflected, compared to the finished portrait." Sotheby’s expects the piece to fetch between ?500,000 and ?800,000 (approximately 870 million to 1.4 billion KRW).
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