Winston Churchill’s 1948 painting sells for £716,800; proceeds to fund arts programme

A painting of flowers by former British prime minister Winston Churchill has sold for £716,800 at Christie’s in London, with all of the hammer-price proceeds set to support a charity programme promoting arts in public spaces. The painting, Amaryllis Lily, was sold during Christie’s Modern British and Irish Art Evening Sale on October 21, 2026. According to the auction house’s official results, 100% of the hammer price will benefit the Churchill Fellowship, turning a work from Churchill’s personal art collection into funding for community-focused arts initiatives.The painting, created in 1948, had been estimated to sell for between £300,000 and £500,000 before the auction. Its final price exceeded the upper end of that estimate by £216,800. Christie’s confirmed the sale in its results announcement and said the money would help fund the Fellowship’s “Making Space for the Arts” programme.The £716,800 figure represents the price realised at auction, but the charity’s share is specifically defined as the hammer price. It should not be confused with the buyer’s total bill, which can include the auction house’s buyer’s premium and other applicable charges.A painting passed from father to ...