A portrait of the late British prime minister Winston Churchill that was taken after he had delivered a speech at the Canadian Parliament in December 1941 is on display. The photo is one of the many iconic productions of Yousuf Karsh, an Armenian immigrant to Canada who became one of the greatest portrait photographers of the 20th century.

Yet not many may know the reason behind Churchill's sharp glance at the lens. Karsh recalled later that, despite waiting for a long time for Churchill to be ready for the photo, the leader kept chomping "vigorously" on his cigar. So, with respect, Karsh stepped forward and pulled the cigar off Churchill's mouth, according to karsh.org, a website established by the managing sides of the Estate of Yousuf Karsh.

"By the time I got back to my camera, he looked so belligerent he could have devoured me. It was at that instant that I took the photograph," Karsh said.

Next to Churchill's photo at the exhibition is a signature portrait of the late Nobel laureate Ernest Hemingway that Karsh took in 1957.

Also on show are oil works from a donation by the Academie des Beaux-Arts (French Academy of Fine Arts), whose members have shown works at NAMOC earlier.

Wu says a room at NAMOC's new venue－now under construction in northern Beijing－will be dedicated to French art, because it nurtured the first generation of Chinese modern artists who studied and lived mostly in France in the early 20th century, including Liu Kaiqu, a sculptor and the first director of NAMOC.

Contact the writer at [email protected]

If you go

9 am-5 pm, through July 8. 1 Wusi Dajie, Dongcheng district, Beijing. 010-6400-1476.