Hardcover

A Passion for Painting for Painting explores Winston Churchill's most beloved pastime, painting. Written by Churchill's granddaughter, Edwina Sandys, who is herself an accomplished artist, this book is a must-have for anyone who wishes to learn more about the highly creative mind of one of the 20th century's greatest men.

REVIEW: "Winston Churchill: A Passion for Painting is by Churchill's granddaughter Edwina Sandys, who is herself a very talented and much-exhibited artist. 'He was the first artist I ever knew', she says, 'and I would stand behind him as he was painting, watching him put magic on the canvas.' This gorgeous book reproduces the best of Churchill's 539 paintings. Sandys's insightful commentary puts the paintings in their proper biographical context and investigates what the landscapes, portraits or still lifes meant to her grandfather. It is an utterly absorbing book, and it makes such wonderful pictures as Winter Sunshine at Chartwell, Flat Calm with a High-prowed Boat, Coast Scene on the Riviera and Battlements at Carcassonne explicable in terms of Churchill's life and interests. The fact that Sandys is herself a successful artist adds immeasurably to the text. She argues persuasively that the qualities that made Churchill a great statesman - such as his boldness and irrepressibility - also shone through in his painting. A foreword by Boris Johnson argues that 'people feel drawn to his works not because they are polished masterpieces, but because they are not. He was willing to try it out, to court ridicule, to make mistakes - but the crucial point is that he is at least willing to throw himself into it and to run that risk.' With one of Churchill's paintings recently selling for £1 million, the risk has clearly paid off." (Robert, Andrews. Literary Review. UK. 2016)