Jack Vettriano Biography
Jack Vettriano 1951-2025
Jack Vettriano
1951-2025
Jack Vettriano passes away at the age of 73
Born Jack Hoggan in St Andrews in 1951 and raised in Methilhill, Fife, Vettriano's upbringing was modest but content. His artistic journey began with encouragement from a significant partner, leading to his self-taught exploration of various art styles.
In turn, his commercial success led him to consistently outsell those of esteemed artists like Monet and Van Gogh.
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Jack Vettriano Obituary
Jack Vettriano was a celebrated yet polarising figure in the British art world, known for his immense commercial success. His art prints surpassed those of iconic artists like Monet and Van Gogh in sales, bringing him an impressive annual royalty of approximately £500,000 from reproductions on various merchandise such as postcards, posters, calendars, and jigsaw puzzles. Despite this popularity, critics frequently dismissed his work as being overly sentimental and derivative, often categorising it as kitsch.
Vettriano, born Jack Hoggan on November 17, 1951, in St Andrews, Scotland grew up in the mining region of Methilhill, Fife. His childhood, although not luxurious, was filled with fond memories and simple joys. Despite a lack of early artistic ambitions, Vettriano was influenced by the gritty themes of film noir, vibrant art deco railway posters, and dramatic pulp fiction covers. His modest approach to his work never claimed greatness, yet he managed to captivate a wide audience, including notable admirers like Jack Nicholson, Robbie Coltrane, and politician Alex Salmond, for whom Vettriano even designed a Christmas card.
Designer Sir Terence Conran, a supporter, noted, "Jack is not part of the traditional fine art establishment and his work is often misunderstood. While I wouldn't place him on the same level as artists like Francis Bacon, and I doubt he'd claim to be, Jack is a very skilled artist in the style reminiscent of Edward Hopper."
Vettriano's painting style and thematic choices often led to comparisons with 19th-century painter Walter Sickert. Like Sickert, Vettriano's work frequently evoked a sense of unease and mystery. In the 1990s, as his art gained commercial success, his personal life was also thrust into the spotlight, with the media sometimes scrutinising his relationships and lifestyle choices.
One of his most renowned works, The Singing Butler, sold for £744,800 in 2004. This painting, depicting a couple dancing on a beach under the shelter of a maid and butler with umbrellas, was both adored by the public and criticised for its derivation from a figure reference manual. Vettriano defended his methods, citing financial constraints that limited his access to live models.
Despite never being showcased at the prestigious Scottish National Gallery, Vettriano found recognition through a significant retrospective exhibition in Fife in 2022, which displayed a rejection letter sent to him from Edinburgh College of Art in 1989. In response to continued dismissals from traditional art institutions, he founded Heartbreak Publishing in 2009 to control the distribution of his art catalogues, greeting cards, and prints.
Jack Vettriano passed away at the age of 73, with his death announced on March 3, 2025. His legacy remains that of a painter who, while dividing opinion, achieved remarkable success and left an indelible mark on the art world.
Jack Vettriano Biography
Jack Vettriano was born in Fife, Scotland in 1951. After leaving school at 15, he followed his father down the mine, working as an apprentice engineer. He later moved on to white-collar jobs in management services. Vettriano took up painting as a hobby in the 1970s when a girlfriend bought him a set of watercolours for his birthday and from then on, he spent much of his spare time teaching himself to paint. He learned his craft by copying Old Masters, Impressionists, Surrealists and a plethora of Scottish artists.
Prior to moving from Kirkcaldy to Edinburgh, he decided to mark a break with his past work which hitherto had been sold under his family name Hoggan. From this time on, he adopted his mother's maiden name. The turning point came in 1988 when he submitted two paintings to the Royal Scottish Academy's Annual Exhibition; both were sold on the first day and Vettriano was approached by several galleries. He held his first solo exhibition at the Edinburgh Gallery in 1992 entitled 'Tales of Love and Other Stories' and later that year, he exhibited at the Mall Galleries in London.
He was represented by Portland Gallery from 1994-2007 and during this time, he had many sell-out solo exhibitions in Edinburgh, London, Hong Kong and New York and counts Jack Nicholson, Sir Alex Fergusson and Sir Tim Rice amongst his collectors.
In 1996, Pavilion books commissioned W. Gordon Smith to compile an anthology, 'Fallen Angels', in which over 40 Vettriano images were accompanied by a selection of Scottish writing. Poets, playwrights, novelists and actors were asked for a personal response to an individual painting or poem. In the same year, Sir Terrance Conran commissioned Vettriano to create a series of paintings for Conran's Bluebird Club in London. The seven paintings inspired by the life of Sir Malcom Campbell hung there for ten years.
In 1998, Vettriano moved to London where he continued to have sell-out shows including, 'Between Darkness and Dawn', 'Lovers and Other Strangers' and 'Affairs of the Heart'.
The year 2004 was exceptional in Vettriano's career; his best-known painting, 'The Singing Butler' was sold at Sotheby's for close to £750,000; he was awarded an OBE for Services to the Visual Arts and was the subject of a Southbank show documentary, entitled 'Jack Vettriano: The People's Painter'; Pavilion published a book 'Lovers and Other Strangers' being an anthology of his work to date with text by Anthony Quinn.
In 2008, Vettriano was commissioned to paint portraits of Sir Jackie Stewart and Zara Phillips, the latter was part of a charity fundraising project for Sport Relief, the experience of which was captured in a documentary broadcast on BBC One in March 2008.
Vettriano launched Heartbreak publishing and his own gallery also called Heartbreak in 2009. In the same year, he was commissioned by the Yacht Club of Monaco to create a series of paintings to mark the centenary of their world-famous yacht Tuiga. The subsequent exhibition 'A Hommage a Tuiga' premiered in Monaco as part of Classic Yacht Week.
In 2010, an exhibition of over 40 new paintings, 'Days of Wine and Roses' was opened at the Kirkcaldy Museum and Art Gallery in Fife. The exhibition then moved to London, opening at Heartbreak in September 2010.
In September 2013, a major exhibition, 'Jack Vettriano: A Retrospective' opened at Glasgow's Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. It featured over 100 works and ran until February 23 2014. It attracted 123,300 visitors and broke the attendance records held by a Van Gogh exhibition in 1948.
Vettriano sold his gallery in London in 2015 and later that year established his own publishing company: Jack Vettriano Publishing Limited.
In 2017, He was one of three artists commissioned to paint portraits of Scottish comedian Billy Connolly. These were then put on display in Glasgow People's Palace, while images were transferred to murals in the centre of Glasgow. It was the subject of a BBC documentary first broadcast on June 14, 2017.
Jack Vettriano: The Early Years Exhibition was held at Kirkcaldy Galleries in 2022. Among the works exhibited were very early paintings signed with the artist's birth name Jack Hoggan.
Detailed Events of Life
- Born Jack Hoggan on November 17 in St Andrews, Scotland. Grew up in Methilhill, Fife.
- As a child, Jack collected birds' eggs and watched local football games.
- Attended Kirkland High School, which he found lacking in educational support.
- Began an engineering apprenticeship in 1966.
- Completed engineering apprenticeship.
- Worked various jobs including door-to-door selling and as a trainee chef in London.
- Met Ruth McIntosh, who encouraged him to pursue further education.
- Began painting seriously after receiving a set of paints from McIntosh.
- Held in Bahrain, marking his initial foray into the art world, though it didn't result in any sales.
- Married Gail Cormack and adopted her daughter.
- Worked for the Manpower Services Commission in Glasgow.
- Marriage ended as Vettriano focused more on painting.
- Exhibited two paintings at the Royal Scottish Academy, gaining recognition and sales.
- Changed name to Vettriano, using his mother's maiden name.
- Held successful exhibition "God's Children" in 1992.
- Partnered with Tom Hewlett of the Portland Gallery in 1993.
- Notable increase in popularity and financial success, despite critical disdain.
- His personal life became the subject of media speculation.
- Sold his most famous work, "The Singing Butler," for £744,800.
- Established to manage his catalogues, greeting cards, and prints.
- Despite being honored as the Great Scot, his work was not displayed in the Scottish National Gallery.
- Continued to face mixed reactions from the public and critics.
- Held in Fife, showcasing his work and career.
- Jack Vettriano passed away at the age of 73, as announced on March 3.
1951 - Birth of Jack Vettriano
1960s - Early Life
1970s - Personal Development
1979 - First Exhibition
1988 - Artistic Breakthrough
1981-1988 - Return to Scotland
1990s - Rise to Fame
2004 - The Singing Butler Sale
2009 - Founded Heartbreak Publishing
2010 - Recognition and Rejection
2013 - Public Perception
2022 - Retrospective Exhibition
2025 - Jack Passes Away