Vettriano: Art world's élite finally want me – but I draw the line at a portrait of Monty

Published on Tuesday 28 October 2008 21:03

HE IS one of the world's best-selling painters yet has been shunned by the Scottish art establishment. Jack Vettriano's best known painting, The Singing Butler, sold at auction for £744,000 and is one of the most reproduced paintings of modern times, but none of his works has ever been acquired by Scotland's national galleries.

Now, the Fife-born former miner has revived his long-running feud with the National Galleries of Scotland (NGS), claiming he was finally asked to paint a portrait for its collections – only to turn the opportunity down because he did not like the proposed subject matter, golfer Colin Montgomerie.

Vettriano, 56, told an audience at a charity event on Monday how his dealer had revealed an approach from the galleries, which have none of the artist's works in their collections.

Speaking at the Adam Smith College, in Kirkcaldy, he said: "I was in France when I got a call from my art dealer, who said there might have been a breakthrough. 'The national galleries would like you to do a portrait'. I said, 'Who?'. 'Colin Montgomerie'.

"I said, 'I'm afraid that the answer is no', I don't do men with breasts, and I don't mean that as unkind to Colin Montgomerie.

"My art dealer said, 'Think about it' and I said, 'I have, and the answer is no'."

Later in the evening at the event, An Audience with Jack Vettriano, the artist was asked if he would ever paint a man as anything other than a prop for women. He replied: "I have to paint a face I like. Have you seen Colin Montgomerie's face recently?"

Neither Montgomerie nor his representatives could be reached last night.

However, gallery chiefs denied knowledge of any approach being made and insisted the NGS had not commissioned a portrait of the golfer.

A go-between, believed to be trying to break the impasse between the NGS and Vettriano, is thought to have suggested the idea to gallery officials.

The Scottish National Portrait Gallery last night insisted it had not instigated the approach and that the idea of a commission had not been formally discussed or approved.

An NGS spokeswoman said: "A few years ago, a suggestion was made to the NGS for a portrait but no formal approach was ever made by us to the artist.

"Any formal approach would have involved James Holloway, director of the portrait gallery, and would have to have been approved by our senior management team. He is adamant that did not happen."

Vettriano has launched a string of attacks against the NGS over the years, concerning his repeated rejection by its senior officials and curators.

Last year, the then director of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art described the artist's work as "lifeless".

Vettriano also used Monday's event to launch an attack on Sport Relief, the charity which organised the recent auction of portraits of sporting celebrities by leading artists.

Vettriano criticised the charity's organisational skills after his portrait of Zara Phillips, the Queen's eldest granddaughter, sold for just 36,000, despite some experts predicting it could fetch over 1 million.