A photograph of Winston Churchill painting from the exhibit at the La Mamounia hotel. La Mamounia
The New York Times, In Transit, by Shivani Vora (Marrakesh, Morocco, February 12, 2014) — La Mamounia, the upscale hotel in Marrakesh, Morocco, is hosting an art exhibition in its Grand Salon from Feb. 20 to March 3 in which eight paintings by Sir Winston Churchill and 17 by the 90-year-old Moroccan artist Hassan el Glaoui will be on display.
Called “Meetings in Marrakesh: The Paintings of Hassan el Glaoui and Winston Churchill,” the show is free and open to the public and is meant to celebrate the Marrakesh Biennale festival, which starts on Feb. 26 and runs through March.
The works by both men depict scenes in the city such as its medinas and the surrounding areas like the Atlas Mountains.
According to Denys Courtier, La Mamounia’s director of marketing, the hotel chose the two artists because of their connection to Marrakesh: Churchill was a regular La Mamounia guest in the 1950s, while el Glaoui was born in the city and is considered one of the country’s most significant artists.
“We’ve always promoted the arts, and there’s no better way to do that than by showing pieces right before the Biennale from two names who have a strong tie to Morocco,” he said in a phone interview.
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