LONDON (AP) — Scottish painter Jack Vettriano, recognized for his works depicting elegant women and men on dreamlike seashores, has been discovered lifeless in his residence in France, his publicist stated Monday. He was 73.
British media reported there have been no suspicious circumstances surrounding his loss of life on Saturday.
Vettriano, born Jack Hoggan in Fife, Scotland on Nov. 17, 1951, was a self-taught artist who created among the world’s most recognizable modern work.
His 1992 portray “The Singing Butler” — that includes a pair in night gown dancing on a storm-swept seaside as their butler and maid proffered umbrellas — grew to become a best-selling picture in Britain.
In 2005, elusive road artist Banksy based mostly a satirical portray titled “Crude Oil (Vettriano)” on “The Singing Butler,” including a sinking oil liner and two figures lugging a barrel of poisonous waste to the composition to ship an environmental message.
Vettriano left college at 15 to change into a mining engineer however took up portray after a girlfriend gave him a field of watercolors for his twenty first birthday. His breakthrough got here in 1998 when he submitted two work to the Royal Scottish Academy’s annual present. Each offered on the primary day.
Though some artwork critics dismissed his work, he loved industrial success and held exhibitions in London, Hong Kong, New York and elsewhere. Actor Jack Nicholson and lyricist Tim Rice have been amongst those that acquired Vettriano’s work.
“Jack Vettriano’s passing marks the end of an era for contemporary Scottish art,” his publicist stated in a press release. “His evocative and timeless works will proceed to captivate and encourage future generations.”
