Missouri museum honoring Churchill gets 1 of his paintings

FULTON, Mo. -- The latest addition to the National Churchill Museum in Fulton is a testament to the longtime British prime minister's artistic, rather than political, skills.

The former Monsanto Co. on Friday donated a painting by Churchill to the museum at Westminster College, where Churchill delivered his famous "Iron Curtain" speech in 1946.

The work, "Lake Scene at Norfolk" from around 1935, shows a tranquil scene of a tree-lined lake. Its value was not disclosed.

Churchill was 40 when he began painting to escape the pressures of politics.

The painting was acquired in 1993 by St. Louis-based Monsanto. German pharmaceutical company Bayer AG on Thursday completed its purchase of Monsanto.

The painting is among four of Churchill's that will be on permanent display at the museum.