On this date, Jan. 24, 1965, Sir Winston Churchill died at the age of 90 in his London home at Hyde Park Gate. His beloved wife, Lady Clementine Churchill, was at his bedside.
I don’t know about you, but I will raise a wee dram to honor both his memory and his spirit — the latter not in evidence among as many statesman of the current generation as one might wish.
Prominently displayed in the offices of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, the policy institute I have the privilege to head, is a large portrait of Sir Winston. It was placed on loan to us some years ago by one of FDD’s longtime supporters, Curtis Hooper, an internationally renowned artist who has created portraits of some of the most extraordinary people around the world.
Curtis worked very closely with Churchill’s immediate family to create a series of works about Sir Winston’s life.
As it happens, he has just created a new limited edition of this portrait, which also includes an assemblage of Churchill’s great quotes, embedded in the background, including one of my favorites:
“It is no use saying, ‘We are doing our best.’ You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary.”
Corner readers who might be interested in purchasing one of these images can find information here. (Full disclosure: A portion of the proceeds from the sale of limited editions or prints will go to FDD.)