On 1 March 2021, a painting by Sir Winston Churchill entitled “Scene at Marrakech” (circa 1935, estimate: £300.000-500.000) will be auctioned at Christie's London.. The painting was a gift from Churchill to Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, one of the most distinguished generals of WWII who played an integral part in the retreat from the Battle of Dunkirk which saved many Allied lives. Montgomery was instrumental in the tactics that delivered a final victory for the Allied forces in 1945. The painting has remained with the Montgomery family since it was donated by Churchill and is being offered for auction for the first time. Sir John Lavery, Churchill's painting tutor, was one of many friends who encouraged Churchill to visit Morocco and his first trip to the country was in 1935, where he was inspired by the warmth and quality of light that the environment offered. Scene at Marrakech is one of Churchill's most accomplished works on this subject, capturing the chromatic intensity of the hot desert sand, which contrasts harmoniously with the blue stream in the foreground. The vivid greens of the background vegetation also bring color, life and energy to the otherwise typically sparse landscape of this scene in Morocco.
Nick Orchard, Head of Department, British Modern Art, Christie's said: “Sir Winston Churchill's gift of his painting, Scene at Marrakech, to Field Marshal Montgomery symbolizes the deep respect and friendship the Prime Minister has for his general; a man who led the British Army and was key to the victory of the allied forces in WWII. An accomplished artist and celebrated political figure, the work is among Churchill's finest paintings of the 30s. It is an honor for Christie's to offer Scene in Marrakech as a highlight of our Evening Sale of Modern British Art and we look forward to publicly exhibiting the work for the first time in its history in February and March 2021.”
In 1942, Prime Minister Winston Churchill appointed Bernard Montgomery as commander of the 8th Army in the Western Desert. The troops had lost the war against the German general Erwin Rommel, and had been driven back to Egypt. Although morale was faltering, Montgomery inspired his troops with successive victories, driving Rommel out of Egypt after the Battle of the Alamein in November 1942. Churchill honored this victory by ringing the bells of Westminster Abbey on 15 November 1942, the first time that the bells were rung from the start of the war as their purpose was to signal an invasion. Montgomery then pursued the German forces across North Africa until their final surrender in Tunisia in 1943. Montgomery then returned to England to command the 21st Army Group, the ground forces for the invasion of Normandy. The invasions began on D Day, June 6, 1944, and Montgomery led his forces through northern France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and northern Germany, finally receiving the surrender of German forces on May 4, 1945, at Lüneburg Heath.
