Why this exhibition hasn’t taken place before is anyone’s guess, but finally the work of ‘Lost Impressionist’ Paul Maze, stars in an astonishing new exhibition at Blenheim Palace alongside that of his great friend Winston Churchill.
Not only does ‘Companions of the Brush‘ display their incredible range of work, but also details their life-long friendship, and the invaluable part it played in the famous prime minister’s life.
Touching, intimate, insightful, tender and respectful, not only is this an extensive and carefully curated selection of the duo’s paintings, but also a nostalgic collection of their letters, mementos, photos and films, all of which demonstrate their closeness.
“I’d have loved to have met them because they are both so irresistible”
Having met in the trenches in WW1 (although French, Maze, a lifelong anglophile, remarkably joined the Scots Greys during during the First World War), the pair instantly hit it off.
Their lifelong and ensuing friendship certainly helped Winston to stay buoyant during the troubling times of WW2, which this intimate and insightful exhibition demonstrates.
Painting was always Winston Churchill’s outlet, a hobby he took to whenever he needed space to rethink, consider and regroup. The results are startling, too often categorised as an amateur, his passion, resolve and dedication to his craft are evident here.
“I wanted to show how this relationship was so integral to keeping Churchill going during his darkest times”
As for Paul Maze, featuring in collections of The Queen Mother, The Queen, the Government, The Tate, Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge and Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum, as well as global private collections, his star never shone as brightly as it deserved.
So why now, and why here at Blenheim Palace? The brainchild of Lizzie Collins at Zuleika Gallery in Woodstock, a repurposing of Winston Churchill’s rooms at the palace freed up a new exhibition space.
Lizzie who worked at Bonhams as an auctioneer, often came across Paul Maze‘s (pronounced Mars not Maze) work. But in terms of posthumous public exhibitions or exposure there was little, even though he painted the funeral of George VI, the coronation and the Trooping of the Colour, Henley, Ascot, Cowes, Armistice day in Paris, and featured on the front page of Vogue for the Jubilee, he was a social commentator as much as an artist.
“Even though he is known as the Lost Impressionist, his paintings were never avant garde enough, and yet he documented so much social history, some of the most important events in the country” Lizzie says.
Maze also painted Churchill at his easel, working alongside his friend in numerous scenarios such as Château de Saint-Georges Motel, then owned by Consuelo Vanderbilt, wife of the 9th Duke of Marlborough, in a curious twist of fate.
“Yes, it seems right that the exhibition is being here at Blenheim, where Churchill was born and Paul Maze was a constant visitor, especially as many of these works have never been seen before in public,” Lizzie adds.
“It feels as if both men have come full circle, and I am so thrilled to see it coming together like this. Both men are so irresistible, everyone loved them, and I wanted to show people this other side and how their relationship was so integral to keeping Churchill going during his darkest times,” she said. “I would have loved to have met them.”
“It wasn’t until we curated the exhibition however that we realised how interlinked these two were. So while it’s been a lot of hard work gathering these works from all over the world, it’s been really inspiring.
“Apart from anything else it’s a real insight into Churchill during a time of great turmoil.”
Paul Maze and Winston Churchill: Companions of the Brush runs until November 13 at Blenheim Palace. The exhibition is free with the entrance fee to the palace. Details at https://www.blenheimpalace.com/whats-on/events/companions-of-brush/
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