Paul Trevillion, the man who created a Sir Winston Churchill portrait which the legendary leader loved – and signed – is coming to Derbyshire to talk about his artwork.
As excitement grows ahead of the sale of the portrait on November 20, the special event will highlight its importance. Paul will talk about his pen-and-ink portrayal of Churchill at Hansons Auction Centre, Heage Lane, Etwall, near Derby, on November 14. To book a free place at the event, which will run from 5.30-8pm, email [email protected] or call 01283 733988.
London-based Trevillion, 90, an acclaimed artist, was only 21 in 1955 when he drew his hero. He was inspired to do so because Churchill famously hated a portrait commissioned for his 80th birthday in 1954 by Graham Sutherland, so much so it ended up on a bonfire. He told his private secretary, Anthony Montague Browne, ‘I look like a down-and-out drunk who has been picked out of the gutter in the Strand’.
Not so the Trevillion portrayal. The artist’s upbeat sketch of the man who was British prime minister twice, 1940-1945 and 1951-1955, brought a smile to his face. In Paul’s mind’s eye, and on paper, Churchill had a jovial grin and glint of fun in his eyes. The artist captured the reassuring smile seen in countless newsreels, the image that comforted him as a child in London during the Second World War.
But he could never have imagined the impact it would have. Churchill liked it so much he summoned the artist to his door and autographed his work. He told Paul it was the only portrait he’d ever signed.
The Trevillion portrait is being offered in Hansons Auctioneers’ Churchill150 Auction on November 20, 2024 at The RAF Club, Piccadilly, London. The month marks the 150th anniversary of Churchill’s birth on November 30, 1874. Bids invited from £20,000 at: www.winstonchurchill150.com
CLICK HERE to learn more about the portrait and artist
