Famed actress Angelina Jolie will put the Moroccan landscape painting 'Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque' on Christie's auction, Nick Orchard, head of Christie's modern British art department revealed. Coming from Jolie's private collection, the painting's estimated price is GBP 1.5-2.5 million at Christie's modern British art auction, which will take place in early March 2021. 'Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque' was painted after the Casablanca Conference, which brought together Churchill and Roosevelt in Marrakesh to discuss strategies of defeating Nazi Germany. Christie's clarifies that the painting was given by Churchill to Roosevelt, whose son sold it years later. Having circulated among numerous buyers, the painting was acquired by the Jolie-Pitt family in 2011. Painted in 1943 during World War II, the work is a testimony to Churchill's creative skills, which he had put to use since his teenage years. The known British statesman and hobbyist painter resorted to art whenever he could. He created a total of over 500 works, several of which focus on the architecture and landscapes of Marrakesh and a few others representing Arab countries he visited. “Painting came to my rescue in a most trying time,” Churchill wrote in one of his essays that would become a small book, Painting as a Pastime (1920), reports Casey Lesser for Artsy.net. “His approach was very simple: Go outside and paint what you see,” Duncan Sandys, Churchill's great-grandson, told Artsy. “He did it for fun; he didn't take his paintings very seriously.” Churchill's painting, titled 'The Giza Pyramids at Cairo', was auctioned at Christie's in London in November 2020. Estimated at GBP 350,000 - GBP 500,000, the painting was sold for GBP 421,250. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#005689"@AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#005689"Ahram Online: Arts & Culture
