El Glaoui (2011)
This exhibition brings together paintings by Sir Winston Churchill and Moroccan artist Hassan El Glaoui. The unlikely pairing comes about thanks to Churchill’s friendship with El Glaoui’s late father, who just so happened to be the Pasha of Marrakech, Hadj Thami El Glaoui. It was Churchill – himself an avid painter and lover of Morocco – who persuaded the Pasha to let his son study painting in Paris in the 1940s. The rest is history; El Glaoui has had exhibitions all over the world, and continues to paint from his home in Marrakech. This exhibition is a record and a celebration of the exchange between the two families, which continues to this day.
You can read the full story here and find out more about the artist at his website.
The show continues until 31st March.
Opening hours:
Daily 10-5.30, closed Tuesdays
Leighton House Museum
12 Holland Park Road, London
W14 8LZ
African Art in London 
January 31, 2012 at 8:50 am
the blurb refers to the morocan artist as a berber ‘tribesman’ – whatever a tribesman is when it’s at home. Anyone wanting to know about his father Thami el glaoui should read the excellent book ‘lords of the atlas’.
January 31, 2012 at 10:45 am
Yes, I noticed that… nothing like a good bit of orientalist waffle to try and hold people’s attention, eh?