Exhibition of Winston Churchill’s “Emerald Lake”

Winston Churchill, Emerald Lake, 1929, oil on canvas, 13.5×19.5 in.

Masters Gallery is proud to announce the acquisition of Winston Churchill’s sought-after Emerald Lake from the recent Sotheby’s of London auction. Gallery owner and President, Ryan Green, woke up at 3am the morning of the auction to bid on the painting which hasn’t been on Canadian soil since it was painted in 1929.

“The 1929 Emerald Lake canvas by Sir Winston Churchill offers a rare glimpse at the artistic expression of one of the most influential minds in history” says Green. “Churchill was very fond of Canada’s natural world and made several visits. In letters written to his wife within days of painting Emerald Lake, he remarked on its beauty and expressed his wishes to one day return with her on a more permanent basis.”

It is the only painting of a Canadian subject left by Churchill in private hands. By acquiring the Emerald Lake canvas and returning it to Western Canada, Masters Gallery is acknowledging an unfulfilled wish by reuniting Churchill’s painting with its inspired place of origin. “It’s a gesture we feel Churchill would have appreciated, especially when we intend to be putting the picture on display to allow Calgarians a chance to view firsthand a piece of world history and celebration of the beautiful Canadian landscape” says Green.

Churchill painted the work during a trip through the Rocky Mountains with his brother and sons, prior to taking office. He later gifted the painting to his bodyguard, Sgt. Edmund Murray whose son, Bill Murray, listed in on the Sotheby’s of London auction site.

The painting will be exhibited starting this Saturday, April 14, 2018. We invite you to come and view this important piece of Canadian history.