No National Gallery show of Vettriano 'for years'

The current public fracas over Scots artist Jack Vettriano shows no signs of easing as the National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) have drawn a distinction between "acclaimed Scottish artists" and artists "popular with members of the public".

In a statement to the Sunday Herald this week, the NGS explained that although the work of acclaimed Scots artists was well represented in their galleries, there was an absence of popular artists' work, such as Vettriano's, due to a lack of resources.

Vettriano's most famous painting, The Singing Butler, sold for a record (pounds) 750,000 last week, but despite this none of his work has ever been displayed in a national gallery in Scotland.

A spokesman for the NGS said: "We take our commitment to Scottish art very seriously and the current generation of highly acclaimed Scottish artists is well represented.

"However, our resources are balanced against continually competing priorities, and inevitably there are limitations to what we can acquire. We recognise that Vettriano is popular with the public, but so are numerous artists not represented in the collection."

The price paid for The Singing Butler was the highest ever for a Scottish artist, or indeed for any artwork sold in Scotland, but Vettriano has continually been snubbed by the art establishment. Indeed, the record-breaking painting was one of 14 Vettriano paintings that were sold last week for a total of (pounds) 1.9million.

However, despite his recent auction-room success, the NGS have said that not only do they not have enough money to buy a Vettriano painting, but that they would not be hosting an exhibition of his work in the near future.

"The National Galleries mounts a diverse and stimulating range of exhibitions, from blockbusters like our Monet exhibition last summer to the highly popular show of portraits by the photographer Mario Testino," the spokesman continued.

"The programme is generally devised several years in advance and we have no current plans to mount an exhibition of Jack Vettriano's work."

Fellow artist Peter Howson is angered by what he sees as a slur on Vettriano's work. "Calling Jack Vettriano a popular artist amounts to the National Galleries using the phrase as a term of abuse against him," he said.

"I could be described as a popular artist and I, along with Steven Campbell and Ken Currie, have been displayed at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. So what has changed their minds now?

"This has to be more about being popular. Why can't the galleries just be honest and admit that they don't like Vettriano's work and their problem is with the quality of it?"

Howson believes that by not displaying Vettriano's work in a national museum, the NGS are wrongly denying him the recognition that he craves.

"Vettriano doesn't need to sell himself to be popular, he just is," Howson added. "But saying he is technically imperfect is like slagging off LS Lowry for drawing matchstick men. It's just complete balderdash."

Copyright 2004 SMG Sunday Newspapers Ltd.
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