Off to a flier with £1.6m Bluebird sale

Published on Wednesday 18 July 2007 01:26

SEVEN Jack Vettriano paintings telling the story of the Bluebird cars are expected to fetch £1.6 million at auction.

Commissioned by Sir Terence Conran for his Bluebird Club restaurant in London, the works depict different moments in the tale of the famous vehicles. The Bluebirds were driven by Sir Malcolm Campbell, the land-speed record-breaker, in the 1920s and 1930s.

The restaurant has now been taken over by new owners, and the Fife artist's paintings will go under the hammer at the Gleneagles Hotel on 29 August.

Andre Zlattinger, head of Scottish paintings with auctioneer Sotheby's, said: "These are right at the top end of Jack's work - they rank alongside the most important paintings."