Rex Whistler’s Final Oil Painting: A Farewell to a Lost England

01/12/2017 Chiswick Curates, Painting & Fine Art

A previously unseen oil painting by Rex Whistler (1905–1944) offers a poignant glimpse into the final days of one of Britain’s most gifted and romantic painters. The work, depicting Binderton House in West Sussex, was recently discovered in a private London home and is believed to be Whistler’s last oil painting, completed just days before his death during the Second World War.

Rex Whistler (1905-1944) Binderton House, West Sussex, 1944 oil on Rowney canvas board. 30.4cm x 40.3cm. Estimate: £2,500 - £3,000.

A Moment Captured in Time

Painted in July 1944, the view of Binderton House reflects more than architectural elegance. It represents Whistler’s farewell to the world he loved. The Georgian property belonged to Sir Anthony Eden, then Foreign Secretary and later Prime Minister. Whistler had been a frequent guest, moving easily among Britain’s intellectual and artistic circles. His visit to Binderton marked the end of a glittering, if tragically short, career.

Only days later, Whistler was deployed to Normandy with the Welsh Guards. He was killed on 18 July 1944 near Caen, on his first day of active service.

Contemporary view of Binderton House. Courtesy of Rightmove, 2015.

An Artist of Enduring Charm

Whistler rose to fame in his early twenties with a commission to paint murals for the Tate Gallery restaurant. The space became affectionately known as The Rex Whistler Restaurant, a name it retains today. With his distinctive style, Whistler captured the imagination of the interwar British elite. He was closely associated with the ‘Bright Young Things’ — a group that included Nancy Mitford, Cecil Beaton, Evelyn Waugh and Stephen Tennant.

His work ranged from theatre design and illustration to large-scale murals, and always reflected a delicacy and romanticism that now feels uniquely nostalgic. A 1940 self-portrait, held by the National Army Museum, shows Whistler in uniform overlooking Regent’s Park — a visual testament to an artist caught between beauty and conflict.

Rex Whistler, self-portrait in Welsh Guards uniform, 1940. Courtesy of the National Army Museum, London.

More Than a House

The painting of Binderton is remarkable not just for its rarity, but for what it represents. The scene captures a lost England of country house grandeur, painted by an artist whose life and career were cut short just as they were entering maturity. The artwork stands as a quiet, powerful elegy — to Whistler himself and to a world soon to be transformed by war.

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