Image: The Wallace Collection, London
The Wallace Collection will host ‘Churchill’s Great War’, an evening talk examining how the First World War shaped Winston Churchill and influenced his painting. Led by First World War historian Alexandra Churchill, the event will take place on Friday, 2 October 2026, from 18.30 to 19.30 at the London museum and online via Zoom.
The programme will focus on the historical context of Churchill’s role from the outbreak of the war and consider how his wartime experiences affected his character and artistic practice. The Wallace Collection’s announcement describes the session as an opportunity to examine the relationship between the pressures of public life, the experience of war and Churchill’s work as a painter.
The talk is connected to the exhibition ‘Winston Churchill: The Painter’, which visitors will be able to enter after hours as part of the event. The accompanying exhibition visit and drinks will continue until 20.45, extending the programme beyond the discussion itself. Tickets are listed at £16–£10.
Although best known internationally for his political career, Churchill is presented here through his sustained engagement with painting. The event’s focus is not on a general survey of his life, but on the specific effects of the Great War and the way those experiences were later reflected in his paintings. Alexandra Churchill’s contribution will place that artistic activity within the chronology and circumstances of the conflict.
The event forms part of a wider programme at the Wallace Collection linking art with political and military history. The museum’s late-summer and autumn listings include talks on Clementine Churchill and the Artists International Association, as well as programming connected with the display ‘The Wallace Collection at War’, which examines the institution’s contribution to Britain’s wartime cultural front. Those events are separate from ‘Churchill’s Great War’ but share its interest in the relationship between artistic production, public life and conflict.
The Wallace Collection, located on Manchester Square in London, houses a permanent collection whose entry is always free, according to the museum’s published visitor information. For ‘Churchill’s Great War’, audiences may attend in person at the museum or join online. The talk is scheduled for 2 October, with the exhibition visit and after-hours access included in the event programme.
