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Jack Vettriano (born 17 November 1951 Fife) is a Scottish painter. Originally Jack Hoggan, he grew up in the industrial seaside town of Methil, Fife. He left school at 16 and became an apprentice mining engineer, but later took up painting as a hobby in his twenties. His earliest paintings were copies or pastiches of impressionist paintings (his first painting was a copy of Monet's Poppy Fields).
Vettriano's breakthrough year was 1988, when he felt ready to display his paintings in public and submitted two canvases for the Royal Scottish Academy annual show. Both paintings sold on the first day and Vettriano was approached by several galleries who wanted to sell his other work. The success and attention contributed to the breakdown of his first marriage and he moved to Edinburgh, changing his name to Vettriano, his mother's maiden name.
Further successful exhibitions followed in Edinburgh, London, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, and New York. His paintings are reminiscent of the film noir genre, often with romantic or even pornographic themes.
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Jack Vettriano at Portland Gallery - Biography, and details of a nexhibition of the artist's work.
Rambles: Jack Vettriano, 'Lovers and Other Strangers' - Reviews of the book of Vettriano's work.
The Guardian: Lothario with a paintbrush - Artist profile.
The Guardian: Painting by ridiculed but popular artist sells for £744,800 - Dismissed by critics as puerile and talentless, Vettriano can claim the title of Britain's favourite contemporary artist and now one of its most expensive, as his best known painting sells for a record price.
The Observer: He's our favourite artist. So why do the galleries hate him so much? - Profile of artist Jack Vettriano.
