London ( CNN ) -- He steered Great Britain through the perils of World War II and is recognized as one of the most important statesmen of the 20th century . But away from the world of politics , Winston Churchill was also an avid painter , drawn to scenes of stately homes in the UK , picturesque fields in France and vibrant Moroccan landscapes . Though he always saw himself as an amateur , he was quick to spot talent in others . Now , for the first time , paintings of Marrakech in Morocco by Churchill are being shown alongside those of Moroccan artist Hassan el Glaoui , who throughout his life credited Churchill with convincing his father -- the Pasha of Marrakech -- to let him pursue his dream of becoming a painter . `` The Pasha of Marrakesh was quite a fearful character and had great influence politically and great wealth , and the idea that his son was going to be a painter clearly would n't have come naturally to him , '' said Daniel Robbins , curator of the exhibition `` Meetings in Marrakech '' at Leighton House Museum in London . In 1943 , the Pasha showed the visiting Churchill some paintings by his son and asked for his opinion . Churchill approved and the young Hassan was subsequently allowed to train as a painter in Paris . `` There were n't many people that the Pasha would listen to but if Churchill said it was alright to be painter , he could accommodate that desire , '' said Robbins . Hassan El Glaoui 's career took off and he has since exhibited his work in Europe and the US , as well as in Morocco . At a sale at Christie 's auction house in Paris in 2007 , a painting by El Glaoui sold for 42,000 Euros ( $ 54,000 ) . Though El Glaoui was never able to meet and thank Churchill , the exhibition at Leighton House Museum -- which was first proposed by the artist 's daughter -- is a belated meeting between the two painters . Churchill 's granddaughter Celia Sandys , who helped organize the show , had been unaware of the role her father played in El Glaoui 's artistic career , but said that she was `` enchanted to hear it . '' After all , Churchill had great affection for Morocco , she said , and his only painting during World War II was a view of Marrakech , which he painted following the Casablanca Conference in 1943 . After the conference , Churchill insisted that President Franklin D. Roosevelt make the trip to Marrakech to see the view from a tower on the edge of the city . After Roosevelt left , Churchill painted the same scene and later presented it to him as a gift . `` Painting was very important indeed [ to Churchill ] , it was what you would nowadays call a stress-buster , '' said Sandys . `` It was the thing he loved to do more than anything . '' Paintings by Churchill now command high figures -- a painting of his home , Chartwell , sold for Â£1 million ( $ 1.5 million ) at an auction at Sotheby 's auction house in London in 2007 -- but when he first picked up a brush he was 40 years old and at a low point in his life . It was in 1915 , during World War I , according to Robbins , and Churchill had just resigned as First Lord of the Admiralty following the disastrous campaign in the Dardanelles . `` Someone suggested that he take up painting and he had a go with his children 's watercolors , '' Robbins said . `` The he tried in oils and he just became hooked on painting and it became his principle form of relaxing , '' he continued . Robbins admitted that it can be difficult to separate the paintings from the man who created them . But he said , `` It 's striking just from hanging the exhibition how well his paintings stand up . '' `` [ The work ] does deserve to be taken seriously and not solely because it 's the product of this great statesman , '' he continued . `` Meetings in Marrakech : The Paintings of Hassan El Glaoui and Winston Churchill '' is on at Leighton House Museum , London , until March 31 , 2012 .
Exhibition of paintings by Hassan El Glaoui and Moroccan artist Hassan El Glaoui opens in El Glaoui . Hassan El Glaoui credited with allowing El Glaoui , son of the Pasha of Marrakech , to pursue dream of painting . the Pasha of Marrakech was important to Churchill ; his only painting from World War II is of the city . Though he was an amateur artist , paintings by Churchill can now command up to $ 1 million at auction .