Portrait of the artist as a younger man

A PAINTING by Scottish artist Jack Vettriano has gone on display for the first time in one of Scotland’s biggest galleries.

Self Portrait V, created in the 1990s, has been loaned to Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow by a private owner.

It shows the artist in his working clothes – a contrast to the glamorous people in the paintings for which he is best known.The piece by the Methil-born artist belongs to Miles and Marina Turner who have loaned it to Kelvingrove for up to three years. Ms Turner said: “I grew up spending my childhood in Kelvingrove and feel I owe the gallery a huge debt. I am delighted to be giving something back.”

One of Vettriano’s most famous paintings, The Singing Butler, sold for £744,000 in 2004 and is one of the best-selling posters in Britain. But the 59-year-old’s work has often been dismissed by critics and the National Galleries of Scotland does not own any of his work, though one of will go on loan to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery when it reopens in November. Vettriano’s painting, The Weight, has been offered on long-term loan to the national collection from a UK private collector.