Jack Vettriano's Critics and Champions: Why the Art World Was Divided

The art world was divided over Jack Vettriano because he succeeded without its approval. Several leading critics dismissed his paintings as shallow or badly made, while the public bought his prints in vast numbers and wealthy collectors paid record prices for his originals. That gap between critical opinion and popular affection followed him for his whole career.

A self-taught outsider

Part of the divide comes from how he started. Jack Vettriano, born Jack Hoggan in Methil, Fife, left school at 15 and taught himself to paint by studying pictures at Kirkcaldy Museum and Art Gallery. His early works were copies and pastiches of the Impressionists.

His portfolio for Fine Art at the University of Edinburgh was rejected. He never went through the art school system, and to some in that system he was always an outsider. Our Jack Vettriano biography tells the full story.

What the critics said

Some of the criticism was blunt. A few of the best-known remarks:

• Sandy Moffat of Glasgow School of Art said: "He can't paint, he just colours in."

• Jonathan Jones of The Guardian called his paintings, taken as a group, "brainless".

• Waldemar Januszczak, writing in 2004, described his work as "meretricious rubbish".

The objections tended to focus on technique, on the reliance on familiar scenes of romance and glamour, and on a sense that the work was more illustration than fine art. Whether you agree or not, these were serious critics making a sincere case.

The Royal Academy rejection

The most famous example of official indifference is The Singing Butler. Painted in 1992, it was rejected for the Royal Academy summer exhibition. It went on to become the UK's best-selling art print.

What the public said

While critics hesitated, buyers did not. In 1988 two of his canvases sold on the first day of the Royal Scottish Academy annual exhibition, and galleries began to approach him. He was represented by the Portland Gallery in London from 1993 to 2007.

In November 1999, 21 of his paintings were shown at The International 20th Century Arts Fair at The Armory in New York. Twenty sold on opening night.

His prints reached an enormous audience. The Guardian reported that he earned around £500,000 a year from print royalties. For many people, a Vettriano print may well have been the first piece of art they ever chose for their own walls.

Record prices at auction

The Singing Butler that the Royal Academy turned down sold at Sotheby's on 21 April 2004 for £744,500, then a record for a Scottish painter. You can read more in the story behind The Singing Butler.

In 2007 the seven Bluebird paintings commissioned by Terence Conran were sold at Sotheby's at Gleneagles, raising over £1 million. Bluebird at Bonneville alone made £468,000. The image is available as a limited edition print, Bluebird at Bonneville.

Honours and recognition

Recognition also came from outside the commercial world. He received an Honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of St Andrews in 2003 and an OBE in the 2003 Birthday Honours. The Open University made him an Honorary Doctor of the University in 2004, and he was named Great Scot of the Year in 2010.

From November 2011 his self-portrait The Weight was shown at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. It is available as a print, The Weight, in an edition of 250 plus 25 Artist's Proofs.

Not a straight line

It would be wrong to suggest the market only ever went one way. In April 2010, seven of ten paintings offered at a Sotheby's Scottish sale failed to sell. Collectors should keep that in mind: demand for any artist rises and falls.

The Kelvingrove retrospective

A high point in public recognition came with "Jack Vettriano: A Retrospective" at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow. It ran from September 2013 to 23 February 2014 and brought together over 100 works.

For a painter long kept at arm's length by the establishment, a major retrospective at one of Scotland's best-loved museums was significant. Our post on Jack Vettriano's exhibitions covers this and his other shows.

The Banksy postscript

Jack Vettriano died in March 2025. Days after his death, a Banksy reworking of his image, "Crude Oil (Vettriano)", sold for £4.3 million. It was a strange and striking footnote: a Vettriano composition, reworked by another artist, achieving a price far above the auction records of his own originals mentioned above.

A balanced view

So who was right? Probably both sides, in their own terms. The critics were judging him against a tradition of fine art that values innovation and technique in particular ways. The public was responding to something more direct: mood, romance, nostalgia and a strong sense of story.

For collectors, the debate is part of the appeal. Owning a Vettriano means owning a piece of one of the great arguments of modern British art. Our post on Jack Vettriano's legacy considers what that means now.

Frequently asked questions

Why did critics dislike Jack Vettriano?

Several critics questioned his technique and saw his romantic, cinematic scenes as lacking depth. Sandy Moffat said he "just colours in", and Jonathan Jones called the paintings as a group "brainless".

Was The Singing Butler rejected by the Royal Academy?

Yes. It was rejected for the Royal Academy summer exhibition, then became the UK's best-selling art print. The original sold at Sotheby's in 2004 for £744,500.

Did Jack Vettriano have a major museum retrospective?

Yes. "Jack Vettriano: A Retrospective" at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, ran from September 2013 to 23 February 2014, with over 100 works.

Is it worth collecting an artist critics disliked?

That is a personal choice. Many collectors buy because they love the image. Prices can rise and fall, so it makes sense to buy a print you will enjoy living with.

Make up your own mind

The best way to judge is to look closely at the work itself. Browse our limited edition Jack Vettriano prints, or enquire about The Singing Butler, which is available on a price on application basis.