Artwork by Jack Vettriano7 Artworks
Jack Vettriano
Born in Fife, Scotland in 1951, Jack Vettriano is one of the UK’s most celebrated contemporary artists, known for his evocative and cinematic style. His journey into the art world is as compelling as his work. Leaving school at 15, Vettriano began his career working as an apprentice engineer in the coal mines, later transitioning into management roles. It wasn’t until the late 1970s, when a girlfriend gifted him a set of watercolours, that he discovered painting—a hobby that quickly became a lifelong passion.
Entirely self-taught, Vettriano honed his skills by studying and replicating the works of the Old Masters, Impressionists, Surrealists, and leading Scottish painters. Originally painting under his birth name, Jack Hoggan, he adopted the name Vettriano—his mother’s maiden name—when he relocated from Kirkcaldy to Edinburgh, marking a new chapter in his artistic career.
His breakthrough came in 1988 when he submitted two paintings to the Royal Scottish Academy’s Annual Exhibition—both sold on the first day, garnering attention from several galleries. Just a few years later, in 1992, he held his debut solo show, Tales of Love and Other Stories, at The Edinburgh Gallery, followed by a successful exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London.From 1994 to 2007, Vettriano was represented by Portland Gallery and enjoyed a string of sell-out exhibitions in Edinburgh, London, Hong Kong, and New York. His work caught the attention of prominent collectors including Jack Nicholson, Sir Alex Ferguson, and Sir Tim Rice.
In 1996, he collaborated on the anthology Fallen Angels with Pavilion Books, pairing over 40 of his paintings with literary responses from renowned Scottish writers. That same year, he was commissioned by Sir Terence Conran to produce a series of paintings for London’s Bluebird Club, inspired by the life of Sir Malcolm Campbell.
Following a move to London in 1998, Vettriano continued to enjoy critical and commercial success with exhibitions such as Between Darkness and Dawn, Lovers and Other Strangers, and Affairs of the Heart.
The year 2004 marked a career high: his most iconic work, The Singing Butler, sold at Sotheby’s for nearly £750,000, he was awarded an OBE for Services to the Visual Arts, and was the subject of the South Bank Show documentary Jack Vettriano: The People’s Painter.
In the years that followed, Vettriano was commissioned to paint high-profile portraits including Sir Jackie Stewart and Zara Phillips, launched his own gallery and publishing imprint—Heartbreak—and was invited by the Yacht Club of Monaco to commemorate the centenary of the classic yacht Tuiga.
In 2013, the major retrospective Jack Vettriano: A Retrospective opened at Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, drawing over 123,000 visitors and breaking attendance records previously held by a Van Gogh exhibition.
Vettriano later launched Jack Vettriano Publishing Limited in 2015, and in 2017 was one of three artists commissioned to paint a portrait of Billy Connolly, with the image turned into a public mural in central Glasgow—featured in a BBC documentary.
In 2022, Jack Vettriano: The Early Years opened at Kirkcaldy Galleries, showcasing some of his earliest works, including paintings signed under his birth name, offering a rare glimpse into the formative years of one of Britain’s most distinctive artistic voices.
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Jack Vettriano
Born in Fife, Scotland in 1951, Jack Vettriano is one of the UK’s most celebrated contemporary artists, known for his evocative and cinematic style. His journey into the art world is as compelling as his work. Leaving school at 15, Vettriano began his career working as an apprentice engineer in the coal mines, later transitioning into management roles. It wasn’t until the late 1970s, when a girlfriend gifted him a set of watercolours, that he discovered painting—a hobby that quickly became a lifelong passion.
Entirely self-taught, Vettriano honed his skills by studying and replicating the works of the Old Masters, Impressionists, Surrealists, and leading Scottish painters. Originally painting under his birth name, Jack Hoggan, he adopted the name Vettriano—his mother’s maiden name—when he relocated from Kirkcaldy to Edinburgh, marking a new chapter in his artistic career.
His breakthrough came in 1988 when he submitted two paintings to the Royal Scottish Academy’s Annual Exhibition—both sold on the first day, garnering attention from several galleries. Just a few years later, in 1992, he held his debut solo show, Tales of Love and Other Stories, at The Edinburgh Gallery, followed by a successful exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London.From 1994 to 2007, Vettriano was represented by Portland Gallery and enjoyed a string of sell-out exhibitions in Edinburgh, London, Hong Kong, and New York. His work caught the attention of prominent collectors including Jack Nicholson, Sir Alex Ferguson, and Sir Tim Rice.
In 1996, he collaborated on the anthology Fallen Angels with Pavilion Books, pairing over 40 of his paintings with literary responses from renowned Scottish writers. That same year, he was commissioned by Sir Terence Conran to produce a series of paintings for London’s Bluebird Club, inspired by the life of Sir Malcolm Campbell.
Following a move to London in 1998, Vettriano continued to enjoy critical and commercial success with exhibitions such as Between Darkness and Dawn, Lovers and Other Strangers, and Affairs of the Heart.
The year 2004 marked a career high: his most iconic work, The Singing Butler, sold at Sotheby’s for nearly £750,000, he was awarded an OBE for Services to the Visual Arts, and was the subject of the South Bank Show documentary Jack Vettriano: The People’s Painter.
In the years that followed, Vettriano was commissioned to paint high-profile portraits including Sir Jackie Stewart and Zara Phillips, launched his own gallery and publishing imprint—Heartbreak—and was invited by the Yacht Club of Monaco to commemorate the centenary of the classic yacht Tuiga.
In 2013, the major retrospective Jack Vettriano: A Retrospective opened at Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, drawing over 123,000 visitors and breaking attendance records previously held by a Van Gogh exhibition.
Vettriano later launched Jack Vettriano Publishing Limited in 2015, and in 2017 was one of three artists commissioned to paint a portrait of Billy Connolly, with the image turned into a public mural in central Glasgow—featured in a BBC documentary.
In 2022, Jack Vettriano: The Early Years opened at Kirkcaldy Galleries, showcasing some of his earliest works, including paintings signed under his birth name, offering a rare glimpse into the formative years of one of Britain’s most distinctive artistic voices.
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