Exhibitions
All exhibitions are free of charge. Museum admission
applies.
Copyright The Churchill Heritage Ltd.
Reproduced with permission from the Churchill Heritage
Ltd.
Meetings in Marrakech
The Paintings of Hassan El Glaoui and Winston Churchill
20 January - 31 March 2012
The exhibition tells the fascinating story and
brings together for the first time a unique collection of work by
two painters: Sir Winston Churchill and Hassan El Glaoui.
Churchill, who as well as being Britain’s iconic
wartime Prime-Minister was also an accomplished amateur painter,
first visited the Moroccan city of Marrakech in 1935. He would
develop a lasting affection for the city, considering it ‘one of
the loveliest spots in the whole world’, and was inspired to
produce many paintings of its buildings and people. Through
these trips he befriended Hadj Thami El-Glaoui, the Pasha of
Marrakech – also known as the ‘Black Panther’. Through
Churchill’s intervention, the Pasha’s son, Hassan El Glaoui,
was permitted to pursue his passion for painting – something that
had not met with the Pasha’s immediate approval.
Churchill’s influence had significant results.
Hassan El Glaoui was the first Moroccan artist to establish an
international reputation and today his work is among the most
sought after contemporary North African art in the world.
Reflecting on his career, Hassan explained: ‘a love of my country
has been the defining spirit of my painting.’ This exhibition
demonstrates that for Churchill too Morocco provided an inspiration
that was profound. His meetings with the young painter’s father in
Marrakech had a lasting impact and, despite such different starting
points, a common sensibility and appreciation for the country is
communicated in the work of both artists.
Accompanying the exhibition is a talk with
Churchill's granddaughter, writer Celia Sandys.
Image 2: Copyright 2011 by El Glaoui