Jack Vettriano (born Jack Hoggan on November 17, 1951), is a Scottish painter who started out as an aspiring mining engineer and ended up as one of the world’s most popular painters. When he was 21, his girlfriend gave him a set of watercolor paints for his birthday, and the rest is history.
PEOPLE IN LOVE
People — especially glamorous, romantic people — are Vettriano’s favorite subjects. His most popular painting, “The Singing Butler’” fetched 744,500 British pounds (more than $1 million US) at a 2004 auction. Ironically, 12 years earlier, that same painting was rejected by the Royal Academy summer show.
ON THE BEACH
Whether it’s dancing, dining, or picnicking, the beach is a recurring setting in Vettriano’s works. The rich quality and emotion of his work give no indication that he is an artist who is self-taught.
CARS AND CHARITABLE CAUSES
Vettriano is well-known and greatly admired for his extensive philanthropy, donating his paintings for auction to benefit various charities, hospices, and trusts. In 2002, he donated a study of “Bluebird at Bonneville” to be sold at an auction to benefit a London trust. The painting fetched nearly $50,000 US.
Tags: beach, cars, contemporary painters, people, romance
