Angelina Jolie Sells Sir Winston Churchill Painting For £8.2m

A wartime painting by Sir Winston Churchill which was owned by Angelina Jolie has sold at auction for £8,285,000.

The landscape, titled 'Tower Of The Koutoubia Mosque', is thought to be the only piece of art the former prime minister painted as he led the country through the Second World War.

The 1943 work was sold by the Hollywood actor on Monday at Christie's auction house, which said the price is a new record for a painting by the late politician.

According to Christie's, the painting was originally gifted by Sir Winston, who was a keen artist, to then US president Franklin D Roosevelt, as a memento of the men's visit there following the Casablanca Conference of 1943.

It had been estimated to fetch between £1.5m and £2.5m.

Christie's previously said that Sir Winston created about 45 paintings depicting Moroccan landscapes after he was encouraged to visit the country by his art tutor Sir John Lavery.

However, Tower Of The Koutoubia Mosque is the only painting the wartime leader created between 1939 and 1945, according to the auction house.

Throughout his life, Sir Winston produced hundreds of canvases and his work has been exhibited at the Royal Academy.

Cover image: Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque at Christie's auction house (Credit: PA)