While works by late British prime minister Winston Churchill come up for sale somewhat regularly, it’s rare to have three in one auction. And for all of the paintings to have remarkable ties to history is even more significant. But come March 1, when Christie’s opens its Modern British Art Evening Sale, among the 34 lots will be two paintings done in Churchill’s beloved Marrakech as well as a rare London scene.

“Each of the paintings has a story around it, and that’s what’s so important with Churchill,” says Nick Orchard, head of Modern British Art at Christie’s. “That’s why Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque (1943) is arguably the most important painting he ever produced.”

Churchill never sold any works during his lifetime, instead choosing to gift them to family, friends, and other acquaintances who mattered to him. “The historical significance of who he gave them to matters quite a lot,” Orchard tells Galerie. The only artwork done by the prime minister during World War II, Koutoubia Mosque was presented to President Franklin D. Roosevelt after he and Churchill had spent time together in Marrakech. The work, emblematic of the bond between Great Britain and America, is expected to fetch between £1.5 million and £2.5 million during the sale and is being offered by the Jolie Family Collection.

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