OREANDA-NEWS. «The minaret of the mosque al-Riad» — the only picture, that Winston Churchill created during the Second world war. The painting was sold at auction at Christie's for $11.5 million. The new owner of the canvas is not named, the previous one is movie star Angelina Jolie. An actor Brad Pitt bought this painting as a gift to her in 2011, writes CNN.

Churchill wrote «The Minaret of the Mosque Al-Riad» in January 1943, following the Casablanca conference. The British Prime Minister was impressed by the colors of the Moroccan sunset, which he observed during a walk with US President Franklin Roosevelt. After the conference, the leaders demanded unconditional surrender from Germany, Italy, and Japan.

The painting was the gift to the American president, then inherited by his son Elliot Roosevelt. He sold it in the 60's, and it ended up in New Orleans. The work «The Minaret of the Mosque Al-Riad» hung from a local family on the toilet for about five years. They contact the antique dealer bill Rau and he sold the painting to Brad Pitt.

Winston Churchill began painting when he was in his forties. He created more than 500 canvases. The amount, that an unidentified buyer paid for «The Minaret of the Mosque Al-Riad» — a record for works by Churchill. It usually costs 1.5-3 million dollars.