American actress Angelina Jolie put up for sale yesterday, Monday, the painting "Koutoubia Mosque," created by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1943, for a staggering price.
According to CNN, the painting sold for $11.5 million at Christie's auction house in London, while its initial estimated value was between $2 million and $3.4 million. Churchill (1874-1965) painted this work, which depicts the Koutoubia Mosque, the largest mosque in Marrakech, Morocco, in 1943 and gifted it to his ally during World War II, the 32nd President of the United States, Franklin Roosevelt.
A source familiar with the sale stated that actor Brad Pitt purchased the painting in 2011 from the high-end antique store "M.S. Rau" for Jolie. The "Koutoubia Mosque" painting is noted as the only artwork Churchill created during World War II.
Jolie describes this piece as Churchill's "most significant work, considering its close connection to the history of the 20th century," according to British art historian Barry Vips in the auction catalog.
The painting depicts simply and directly the minaret of the mosque, which, alongside the Giralda mosque that later became a cathedral in Seville, stands as one of the symbols of Islamic architecture during the 12th century. In the background of the painting, the walls of the ancient city lean against the Atlas Mountains.
The conservative British leader began painting at the age of forty, and his love for the red city and its lights began in the 1930s when Morocco was under French and Spanish control. Churchill visited Morocco six times over 23 years.
A historical photo taken at that time shows Churchill alongside President Franklin Roosevelt contemplating a sunset, which inspired Churchill's painting.
Additionally, two other paintings by Churchill were auctioned on the same day; one depicting a scene from Marrakech sold for £1.55 million (€1.8 million) after being estimated between £300,000 and £500,000, while the second representing St. Paul's Cathedral in London was expected to sell between €200,000 and €300,000 but ended up fetching £880,000.
