I’ve never seen Winston Churchill’s paintings in person. But what strikes me vividly even in reproduction is their unusually open and lucid sense of space. Let me show you two of his works → ...

A Winston Churchill painting given to his Cuban cigar supplier as a token of friendship is estimated to sell in the region of £2 million (US$2.83 million) at Christie’s London.

The oil-on-canvas study shows Churchill’s head in profile against a dark background. It is expected to sell for $622K to $995K at Sotheby’s in London on June 6.

Photo: Bettmann/Getty Images One hundred and 10 years ago, in the summer of 1915, Winston Churchill took up painting, and for almost half a century it would be one of his most fulfilling recreations.

The collector also bought two other works by Churchill at that same sale: “Scene at Marrakesh” (1935) for $2.6 million, and “St. Paul’s Churchyard” (1927), for $1.5 million.