A 1948 oil painting by former British prime minister Winston Churchill fetched a record £716,800 at Christie's London auction on 21 October 2026, far surpassing the £300,000‑£500,000 estimate. Record haul. The hammer price eclipsed the upper bound of the £500,000 forecast by £216,800.
The canvas, titled "Amaryllis Lily", measures 36 by 24 inches and bears Churchill's initials "WSC" in the lower left corner. It was gifted by Churchill to his youngest daughter, Lady Mary Soames, and later donated in 1995 to the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, now the Churchill Fellowship.
All proceeds will go to the Fellowship's three‑year "Making Space for the Arts" programme, which launched in 2025 to strengthen artistic practice in public spaces. The programme seeks to broaden access to cultural activities by supporting projects that bring art into streets, parks and rural landscapes.
Churchill's foray into painting began in 1915, with influences from Walter Richard Sickert. "Amaryllis Lily" reflects his interest in still‑life subjects, allowing him to experiment with color and composition.
The sale, part of Christie's modern British and Irish art evening, added £23.09 million to the auction's total haul. The upcoming year will see the Fellowship launch its second cohort of Fellows, enabling new public‑space projects to spring to life.