Indy band’s music inspires Vettriano

Music has always been hugely important to Vettriano, with many of his paintings being inspired by or named after the songs he loves. When he found out that Scottish indy band, Saint Judes’ Infirmary, had written a song entitled ‘Goodbye Jack Vettriano’ he was flattered by the reference and then relieved that he loved the song.  He was approached by the band and agreed to go along to assist with the filming of a video for the song, commissioned for BBC Scotland’s, Music Show.

‘Goodbye Jack Vettriano’ featured on the band’s debut album, Happy Healthy Lucky Month and you can listen to this and other tracks from the album on our Press & Media page.

Vettriano was inspired by the lyrics in the song to produce a painting, ‘Marked Heart, featured far left here, which the band went on to use for the cover of their second album, ‘This Has Been the Death of Us’, which was released in 2009. Clicke HERE to read an article about the lyrics that inspired by the painting.

The collaboration on the new album evolved further when the band invited Vettriano and the writer and fellow Fifer, Ian Rankin, to record spoken words to be included in some of the new tracks. Click HERE to listen to the song, ‘Tacoma Radar’; lyrics by Ian Rankin and spoken by Jack Vettriano.

St Judes performed a gig at the National Scottish Portrait Gallery in 2009, to launch their second album ‘This Has Been The Death of Us’; see a video of their performance below.

Art for Aquila Auction

Vettriano triptych donated for Art For L’Aquila fundraising auction

Fredi Marcarini and Jack Vettriano have donated a set of their Artist’s Proofs of the triptych of photographs featured here to the Art for L’Aquila fundraising auction that takes place at the Italian Cultural Institute in London on 2nd July.

The Cultural Institute are hosting the exhibition from 29th June through to 2nd July and the auction itself will take place at 7pm and will be conducted by Bloomsbury Auctions.

The exhibition and auction will feature the work of a diverse set of young artists from Abruzzo alongside work by more established, international artists.

When approached to donate something to the auction, Vettriano commented:

“Like everyone, I was deeply saddened and shocked to see the devastation and misery caused by the earthquake in Abruzzo in April and in particular the appalling loss in L’Aquila.

I greatly admire the efforts made by the young, emerging artists of Abruzzo who have given their work to the Art for Aquila auction and I was particularly moved to hear they have asked for the funds raised to go towards the restoration of the dome of Santa Maria del Suffragio. I have always been stimulated by visual pleasures and I absolutely share these artists’ sentiment that everyone should have the chance to walk down the street and view something beautiful every day.

Fredi Marcarini is a great italian photographer who lives and works in Milan and I hope that our joint donation of the triptych of photographs on which we collaborated together last year, makes for a fitting contribution to next week’s auction.”

Fredi Marcarini commented:

“Art for art is a wonderful idea. Giving money is one thing, but the opportunity to use one’s art to bring back and restore art in l’Aquila, is something else.”

Click HERE for more information and to view the on-line catalogue.

If you are interested in bidding on any of the Lots but are unable to attend the auction, please contact Bloomsbury Auctions:

Contact Name: Richard Caton

Email: rcaton@bloomsburyauctions.comrcaton@bloomsburyauctions.com

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7495 9494

A phone bidding service will be available for those that require it.

Portrait of Francis Bacon by Michael Clark published to mark centenary

Jack Vettriano announces today that a limited edition of a portrait of Francis Bacon by Michael Clark is to be released by Heartbreak Publishing to mark Bacon’s centenary.

Vettriano approached Michael Clark about the idea of publishing an edition after seeing the original drawing in a private collection in London. Vettriano was fascinated to learn that Michael Clark had known Francis Bacon well and was delighted when the artist agreed to allow him to publish his exceptional drawing as an edition. This is one of the first editions to be published by the newly formed Heartbreak Publishing, which Vettriano co-owns. The first print from this edition, no.1/100, now hangs in Vettriano’s home in London.

When asked to talk about his favourite artist in an interview for The Times, Vettriano chose Francis Bacon and commented:

“Late last year, I visited the Bacon exhibition at the Tate Britain. I had previously seen isolated examples of his work in london and New york; I felt very priveleged to be in those rooms but the overwhelming emotion was one of pure, unadulterated shock. My senses were being ravished. I felt I was reeling from room to room, I had never experienced anything quite like this before. I fled, breathless into the Winter’s day trying to comprehend what I had just seen.

My Baconisation started in 1995 when I read Dan Farson’s wonderful ‘The Gilded Gutter Life of Francis Bacon’; I became instantly fascinated and captivated by both his work and his lifestyle. Here is a man who over forty years earlier had assaulted the sensibilities of the London art viewing public by exhibiting ‘Three Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion’. It was a horrorifying introduction to a body of work that was to evolve into surely one of the most important ever created.

Here is a man, self taught, almost entirely self-educated, painting the pleasure and the pain of his own existence. Such integrity produces great art – for great art is from the heart.”

The edition is being published in association with Blesse Projects.

Click here for information about Michael Clark.

All general enquiries regarding original paintings by Jack Vettriano should be directed to Jack Vettriano Publishing in Edinburgh via email info@jackvettriano.com or by telephone on +44 (0)131 215 1025.

Vettriano book signing event at Waterstones, Edinburgh

Jack Vettriano will be signing copies of two new books, ‘Women In Love’ and ‘A Man’s World’ at Waterstones in Edinburgh on Thursday 4th June 2009.

Please note that Waterstones are expecting that demand will be high and early arrival is advised.

Please contact the store directly to reserve signed copies of the books if you are unable to attend the event

Due to time considerations, Waterstones cannot guarantee that personal dedications will be possible.

Women In Love

A Man’s World

See all Books on Vettriano

For further information, please contact the store directly: 0131 225 3436

Waterstones
George Street
Edinburgh EH2 3ES

Tel: 0131 225 3436.

If you would like to receive an email advising you of future book signing events, please subscribe to our mailing list by visiting the Contact Page.

Vettriano book signing event in Milan

Jack Vettriano firmerà copie dei suoi due nuovi libri: “Women in Love” e “A man’s World” presso la Libreria Rizzoli, il 12 maggio 2009.

I due libri sono publicati in Italia da L’Ippocampo Edizioni, che è la prima casa editrice a curare le edizioni italiane dei libri su Jack Vettriano.

Per partecipare all’evento personalmente o prenotare una copia autografata, si prega di mettersi in contatto direttamente con la Libreria Rizzoli.

L’Ippocampo Edizioni

Libreria Rizzoli
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele 11
20121 Milano

Tel: +39 02 86461071

12 May 2009

Jack Vettriano will be signing copies of two new books, ‘Women In Love’ and ‘A Man’s World’ at the Libreria Rizzoli in Milan.

The two books have been published by Milan based publishers, L’Ippocampo Edizione as co-editions with Anova Books.

If you would like to attend the book signing event in Milan, please contact the Rizzoli store on the telephone number noted above

There will be a series of book signing events in the UK in July and August to celebrate the launch of these two titles. Full details of these events will be added to this website as soon as they have been confirmed.

If you would like to receive an email advising you of the dates and venues of this summer’s book tour, please subscribe to our mailing list by visiting the Contact Page.

Vettriano painting makes £21,000 at charity auction

A self portrait donated by Jack Vettriano to the Lighthouse Gala Auction in aid of the Terrence Higgins Trust, made £21,000 at a charity fundraising auction at Christie’s held on 23rd March 2009.

Entitled, ‘The Weight’, the self portrait was inprired by one of a triptych of narrative portraits by Fredi Marcarini with whom Vettriano collaborated last year.

The Weight
Oil on board
10 x 8 inches
Signed, Painted in 2009

Hammer Price: £21,000

Vettriano and Marcarini also donated a triptych of photographs to the charity auction and these made £7,000. The triptych was featured in the auction catalogue but the painting was dealt with as a separate, suprirse Lot.

Download the Auction Catalogue

The tritych of photographs on which Marcarini and Vettriano collaborated last year, have been published as a limited edition of only ten prints and the artists donated edition No.1 to the Lighthouse Gala auction.

Click HERE to find out more about the auction and about the Terrence Higgins Trust.

The Lighthouse Gala Auction
Monday 23rd March 2009
Christies’, King Street, London SW1

‘Dancer In Emerald’ returns for Homecoming Scotland

Jack Vettriano is to loan his painting, Dancer in Emerald, to Kirkcaldy Museum & Art Gallery in Fife so that it may go on public display for the duration of Homecoming Scotland year.

Originally conceived as the companion piece to his now famous work, The Singing Butler, this painting has not been on public view since 1992 when it was first exhibited and bought by a private collector. In 2005, Vettriano was offered the opportunity to buy back the painting and acquired it for a six figure sum; it has since hung in his studio in London.

Vettriano’s decision to support the Museum in this, Homecoming year, is a gesture of thanks to the Museum for the part it played in his development as an artist. The Museum’s free admission policy allowed the entirely self taught artist to spend countless hours looking at the paintings by William McTaggart, the Scottish Colourists and the Glasgow Boys that feature in what is probably one of the finest collections of Scottish art outside of the National Galleries of Scotland.

Commenting on the loan to the Museum, Vettriano said:

“I can’t quite believe that it is twenty-five years since I first submitted work to the Fife Art exhibition, which was held at the Kirkcaldy Museum and which, in many respects, kick-started my career as an artist. I am as grateful now as I was then to be given the opportunity to show my work at the Museum – exhibiting in such prestigious surroundings is a great honour for amateur and established artists alike. I wanted to do something special in this, Homecoming year, and now that the Singing Butler is in a private collection out of view, I thought my fans might like to see the painting that so closely relates to it.

Dancer In Emerald goes on public display at the Kirkcaldy Museum & Art Gallery from Valentine’s Day, Saturday 14th February and will remain on display until the end of November 2009. See below for more details.

A signed, limited edition print of Dancer In Emerald has been published to mark Homecoming Scotland, a percentage of the sales proceeds of which will go to the Friends of Kirkcaldy Museums & Art Gallery charitable fund.

All general enquiries regarding original paintings by Jack Vettriano should be directed to Jack Vettriano Publishing in Edinburgh via email info@jackvettriano.com or by telephone on +44 (0)131 215 1025.

Kirkcaldy Museum & Art Gallery
War Memorial Gardens
Kirkcaldy

Tel: 01592 583213 FREE ADMISSION

Open: Monday -Saturday 10:30am – 5:00pm; Sunday 2:00pm – 5:00pm.

For more information about Homecoming Scotland www.homecomingscotland.com

Vettriano’s women inspire Swan Group

A new women’s magazine entitled, Jackie, was launched in December 2008 by the Milan based publishers, the Swan Group. The publishers’ creative team had in mind that the women for whom they were creating the magazine were best encapsulated by much of Vettriano’s work.

In a hugely flattering tribute to the artist’s work, the first issue of Jackie featured an image of Vettriano’s painting In Thoughts of You on its front cover and included a feature about the artist inside the magazine.

Currently, Jackie Magazine is available only as a supplement to the Swan Group’s, Monsieur magazine but it will become its own idependent title later this year.

Vettriano was interviewed by Monsieur for their December issue and was given the great honour of being invited by the Swan Group’s chairman, Franz Botre, to attend their annual gala dinner in Milan in November, as their guest of honour. The black tie dinner was a charity fundraising event, which featured an auction of lots, including two items donated by Vettriano, to raise funds for the neo-natal intensive care ward of the Niguarda Hospital in Milan.

Click HERE to download the Monsieur Magazine feature.

Click HERE to download the Jackie Magazine feature.

The portrait photograph shown here was shot in the bedroom of Vettriano’s London home and is one from a series on which he collaborated with the photographer, Fredi Marcarini.

Copies of the December 2008 issues of both ‘Monsieur’ and ‘Jackie’ magazine may be ordered directly from Monsieur by contacting them via their website www.monsieur.it