Former British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, was not widely known for being a painter, however, a collection of his works were recently leveraged as payment for what would have otherwise been a $14 Million inheritance tax.
The paintings, created between 1915 and the late 1950s, belonged to Churchill’s daughter, Mary Soames. She was Churchill's last surviving child when she died at 91 years old last May.
The collection of Churchill paintings (37 in total) were donated through the Acceptance in Lieu program, run by the Arts Council England, which allows artworks to be donated to the nation in lieu of inheritance tax.
Per Lady Soames’ request, rather than being auctioned, 35 of the paintings will be displayed in Churchill’s family home, Chartwell, which has been open to the public since 1966. As for the two remaining paintings, “Coast Scene Near Cannes” (1935) will go to the Houses of Parliament and “View From a Bathing Hut at the Miami Surf Club” (1945) to the Churchill War Rooms.
