'With the fewest of strokes, he can create an impression at once true and beautiful.  Here is no toiling seeker after preconceived effects, but a vivid and powerful interpreter to us of the forces and harmony of Nature.' - Sir Winston Churchill about Paul Maze in 1939.

Blenheim Palace is hosting a new exhibition showcasing Winston Churchill's love of painting and lifelong friendship with renowned Anglo-French artist Paul Maze, the official painter of the Queen's Coronation in 1953.

Paul Maze and Winston Churchill: Companions of the Brush runs from 2nd July – 13th November in the newly refurbished Palace Exhibition Suite.

The exhibition is being staged in association with Zuleika Gallery and curated by Lizzie Collins and Philippa Hogan Hern.

It features paintings by both men from the Duke of Marlborough's private collection, alongside loans from the Estate of Paul Maze, other collections, personal effects and archive material.

It also includes the set of toy lead soldiers which Maze gave to the nine-year-old, John Spencer-Churchill, future 11th Duke of Marlborough, as a 1935 Christmas gift at the suggestion of Winston, who was himself born at Blenheim.

Maze was affectionately referred to as 'The Cher Maitre' and 'Companion of the brush' by Churchill's family.  The pair first met in the trenches on the Western Front in 1915/6. 

Their shared love of painting was to lead to a life-long friendship and artistic mentorship with frequent reunions at Blenheim Palace, Chartwell and the Chateau of St-Georges-Motel in Normandy, home of Consuelo Balsan, the former 9th Duchess of Marlborough.

Often referred to as 'the last of the Post-Impressionists', Maze particularly enjoyed capturing London views, still life, the English countryside and the English Season – Race meetings, Trooping the Colour, Henley Eights and Cowes Week. 

He was invited to record the funeral of King George VI on 15th February 1952 and was the official painter of HM the Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation on 2nd June 1953.

Issued on behalf of Blenheim Palace. For more information please contact Samantha Vaughan on 07469 129743 or svaughan@blenheimpalace.com

About Blenheim Palace

Home to the Dukes of Marlborough since 1705, Blenheim Palace was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

Set in over 2,000 acres of 'Capability' Brown landscaped parkland and designed by Vanbrugh in the Baroque style, it houses one of the most important and extensive collections in Europe, which includes portraits, furniture, sculpture and tapestries.

About Zuleika Gallery

Founded in Oxford in 2015, Zuleika Gallery's focus is on Modern British and emerging contemporary art. Founder Lizzie Collins is a history of art graduate of UCL, and a postgraduate of the Courtauld Institute in London.

She was a director and auctioneer at Bonhams, and a specialist at Christie's in 20th Century British Art, before founding Zuleika Gallery. The gallery operated in the heart of St James's from 2017- 2021 and in January 2022 took up permanent residence in Cromwell Place, South Kensington.

The Woodstock gallery opened in August 2020 and is located a short walk from the town entrance to Blenheim Palace, home to the Blenheim Art Foundation. The gallery is committed to making art accessible and caters for both the entry level collector and the connoisseur. It also offers bespoke art advisory services for private or corporate collectors.

Philippa Hogan-Hern has been a consultant to the gallery since 2020.  She has an MA in the History of Art from St Andrews University.  Philippa was a Business Manager, British & Irish Art at Christie's (1994-2008), Director of the Jerwood Foundation (2013-2020) and trustee of Hastings Contemporary (2013-2019) and was actively involved in the exhibition programming and curation at the gallery, including Lowry by the Sea; Edward Burra: A Rye View and Stanley Spencer: A Panorama of Life.

Biography of Paul Maze

Paul Lucien Maze DCM MM (1887-1979) was born in Le Havre and learnt the rudiments of painting from family friends including, Georges Braque, Raoul Dufy, Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro.  Aged fourteen, Maze was sent to school at Haendel Colllege  in Southampton and it was during his time there that he began a life-long affair with all things English.    When war broke out in 1914 Maze joined the Royal Scots Greys initially as an interpreter and was later transferred to the British 5th Army Headquarters' staff where he was a liaison officer and artist.  He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal and Military Medal with bar as well as the French Croix de Guerre and later on the Legion d'honneur.  In 1934 Heinemann published Maze's recollections of the First World War  – A Frenchman in Khaki with a preface by Winston Churchill.  In 1920 he was naturalised as a British subject when he married Margaret Nelson.  He divorced in 1950 and married Jessie Lawrie and moved to Mill Cottage, Treyford in West Sussex.  Maze exhibited in London, Paris and New York and his work is held in major British and US private collections and public institutions including, Tate, The Fitzwilliam Museum, Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum, Henley River & Rowing Museum and The Government Art Collection.

Biography of Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, DL, FRS, RA (1874-1965) was a British Statesman who served as Prime Minister from 1940-1945 and from 1951-1955, author, historian and artist.   He was born at Blenheim Palace and is buried at the nearby St Martin's Church, Bladon.  Churchill took up painting during the summer of 1915 following his resignation from Government in the wake of the allied disaster at the Dardanelles.  It was a passion and pastime that would last for the rest of his life and resulted in over 500 paintings.  He received tuition and guidance from some of the leading artists of the day including Sir John Lavery, Sir William Nicholson, Walter Sickert and Paul Maze.  His writing on the pleasures of painting first appeared as essays in the Strand Magazine in December 1921 and January 1922 and were subsequently published: Painting as a Pastime in 1948, the year he was made an Honorary Academician Extraordinary by the Royal Academy of Arts.