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 daughter
Amaryllis Lily is an oil painting on canvas measuring 36 by 24 inches, or approximately 91.5 by 61 centimetres. Christie’s catalogue records Churchill’s initials, “WSC”, in the lower-left corner. The work’s ownership history gives it a personal connection to the Churchill family. According to the auction catalogue, Churchill gifted the painting to his youngest daughter, Lady Mary Soames. She subsequently donated it in 1995 to the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, now known as the Churchill Fellowship, allowing the organisation to use the artwork at its discretion to support its work.The painting was therefore held by the charity for more than three decades before being offered at auction. Its sale allows the organisation to convert an artwork associated with Churchill’s private life into financial support for its programmes.Churchill is best known internationally for leading Britain during the Second World War and serving as prime minister, but painting was also an important personal pursuit. He began painting in 1915 and continued for decades, producing landscapes, still lifes and scenes inspired by his travels.Christie’s noted that the artist Walter Richard Sickert had a practical influence on Churchill’s painting, introducing him to the technique of working from photographs. Amaryllis Lily reflects Churchill’s interest in still-life subjects, which allowed him to explore colour, composition and the arrangement of objects.
Where the auction money will go
The proceeds are intended to support the Churchill Fellowship’s “Making Space for the Arts” programme, a three-year initiative launched in 2025. The programme seeks to strengthen artistic practice in public spaces and broaden access to cultural activities.According to the Fellowship’s official website, the initiative supports projects that explore how large-scale artistic activity can be designed and delivered with communities. It also aims to expand participation in public arts, making cultural experiences more inclusive and relevant to people in different places.Public arts projects can take place in settings such as streets, parks, public buildings, coastlines and rural landscapes, rather than being restricted to traditional galleries and theatres. Such activities can give communities opportunities to participate in creative work, express local identities and experience art collectively.The Fellowship says the programme is intended to develop the skills, knowledge and approaches needed to deliver ambitious public arts projects. It is seeking a second cohort of around 10 Fellows to build on the programme’s initial work.The organisation also points to pressures facing the arts sector, including reduced local government cultural funding in parts of the UK and the closure of some traditional venues. Its programme aims to help practitioners develop new approaches to public-facing artistic activity.The auction proceeds will contribute to this work, although Christie’s has not said that the sale alone will finance the entire programme.
Churchill’s legacy supports a modern cause
The Churchill Fellowship, the operating name of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, is a UK charity established in 1965. It awards fellowships that enable people to learn from approaches and practices in other countries and apply those lessons in the UK.The sale of Amaryllis Lily illustrates one way the charity can use a historical asset to support contemporary projects. Rather than remaining solely a collectible associated with a prominent historical figure, the painting has generated funds for a programme focused on participation, creativity and public spaces.The auction took place as part of Christie’s October sale of modern British and Irish art. The evening auction raised £23.09 million in total, according to the auction house. The highest-selling work was Barbara Hepworth’s sculpture Sculpture with Colour (Eos), which achieved £6.19 million.Churchill’s painting was among the works whose sale carried a specific charitable purpose. Its £716,800 result exceeded its pre-sale estimate, while the commitment to direct the hammer-price proceeds to the Fellowship ensures that the transaction also supports the charity’s ongoing work.For the organisation, the sale represents more than the disposal of a painting. It provides a source of funding for an initiative intended to bring artistic activity into shared spaces and encourage more people to participate in cultural life.