The many perils of picking or refusing ‘Scottish’ portraits

The Scottish National Portrait Gallery turned down a portrait of the Labour politician Tony Benn, below, because it was “nonsense” to consider him Scottish, the gallery’s former director has revealed.

But it stretched a point to include the late fashion designer Jean Muir, born and raised in London and with an entirely English career.

Former director James Holloway, who left the post earlier this year, talked frankly of the perils of picking portraits at the Boswell Book Festival in Ayrshire this weekend. He told how the gallery struggled, and finally failed, to get the leading society photographer Rankin to do a family portrait of tennis stars Andy and Jamie Murray and their mother.

“A lot of sitters have very, very little time,” he said. “People like sportsmen are a nightmare, you want them while they are still winning their gold medals, and they are always so busy training.”

Mr Benn was born in London and educated at Westminster school. His father William was an MP for Leith.

TIM CORNWELL