Painting by Churchill that cheered up Vivien Leigh is up for sale
A sir winston churchill painting of roses which cheered up Vivien Leigh is going on sale in an auction of the screen star’s belongings.
The Gone With The Wind actress placed Roses In A Glass Vase on the wall opposite her bed, after the wartime prime minister gave it to her as a present, and told how it gave her “the determination to go on”.
The painting is going on display for the first time, at Sotheby’s in London. It is expected to fetch £100,000 at auction.
It was painted from flowers Sir Winston picked from his garden at his country home in Kent. The oil painting has been with the actress and then her family ever since Sir Winston gave it to her, during a midnight supper he hosted at his home in 1951. It is expected to be one of the star lots of Sotheby’s sale of Leigh’s personal collection on 26 September.
Frances Christie, head of Sotheby’s modern and postwar British art department, said: “Churchill’s gift of a still life of roses to Vivien speaks volumes about the respect and regard he felt for her.
“Theirs was not a passing acquaintance, but a friendship that endured for more than 20 years. He inspired her to begin painting and it is poignant to think that they shared a mutual solace in an activity where they found a refuge from all the trials and tribulations of daily life.”