Scottish artist Jack Vettriano, who was famous for his The Singing Butler painting amongst others, passed away last week (3 March 2025) at his apartment here on the French Riviera, in Nice. The painter, whose prints brought joy and romance to millions of homes around the world, was 73-years-old.
Paying homage to the artist, an official statement on his website said: “He was not only an extraordinary artist but also a deeply private and humble man who was endlessly grateful for the support and admiration of those who loved his work. His paintings—capturing moments of intrigue, romance, and nostalgia—touched the hearts of so many around the world, and his legacy will live on through them.”
The Singing Butler became Britain’s best-selling print, and Jack’s art collector fans included Hollywood star Jack Nicholson, football legend Sir Alex Ferguson, singer Madonna and music maestro Sir Tim Rice.
Jack spent much of the last couple of decades living between his homes in Nice, London and Scotland.
Drawn by the light and lifestyle of the French Riviera…
Like so many artists before him, including Paul Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Claude Monet, Jack said he was drawn to the Côte d’Azur by the light (and lived “almost right between” the Picasso and Matisse museums).
“I’m in Nice as often as I can be,” the artist told Riviera Reporter in a 2013 interview. “I find the climate, the light and the people-watching there such a pleasure and very inspiring. I’d like to think I’m following in the footsteps of other Scottish artists who discovered the French Riviera and I can certainly vouch for the appeal. Ultimately, perhaps it’s the light down there – such a counterpoint to the grey days spent in London or Scotland,”
Jack said he also loved Nice for its “glamour” that is “underpinned with a slightly sleazy underbelly, if you look for it, and this leads to a rich seam of inspiration for me.”
Speaking to The Telegraph newspaper the following year, Jack revealed it was more than just the light. He said whilst other artists had moved to the Côte d’Azur “in pursuit of the perfect light”, for him it was “the working day that suits me perfectly”.
“I can start a piece, then go have a swim and sunbathe before going back to finish the painting off – it’s gorgeous. It’s the heat and the constant sun that I love about the area. And for people watching, there’s nowhere like Nice. It’s a bit like Bournemouth, with a lot of old people going there to retire but that’s balanced out by young visitors in the summer.”
Jack said he tended to hang out in Cannes and Antibes, and wasn’t a fan of Monaco (telling The Telegraph it was “a bit sterile”). He did however enjoy great success with a commission from the Monaco Yacht Club for the 2009 centenary of their famous yacht Tuiga (which had Scottish origins).
Jack spent a few days at the Club and on the yacht before embarking on the series of 10 paintings, of which Sunshine and Champagne (below) was one.
Jack said he was inspired by the “intimate areas below deck” which got him “thinking of what might go on when a mixed crew are off sailing together. Other ideas came from observing the Monaco “scene” around the Club. It’s very glamorous, gorgeous, and you know there is always a party happening somewhere close by,” he told the Riviera Reporter.
Jack Vettriano’s early years
The artist was born Jack Hoggan in Fife, Scotland, but later replaced ‘Hoggan’ with his mother’s Italian maiden name, Vettriano.
He always loved drawing, and said in a YouTube video that as a child he would sketch on his grandfather’s horse betting slips (white pieces of paper in those days), but it was a box of watercolours he was given as a birthday present when he was in his early 20s that sparked his love for painting.
Jack taught himself in his spare time, copying other artists’ masterpieces until “like an alchemist” he developed his own style.
In 1988 his professional art career took off when two of his paintings were sold at the Royal Scottish Academy’s Annual Exhibition, according to the biography on his website.
Several galleries immediately contacted him, and the rest is history. In 2004 his ‘The Singing Butler’ was sold by Sotheby’s for almost £750,000; and in the same year he was awarded an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II for Services to the Visual Arts.
Afterwards he said that while the OBE meant nothing to him, it was incredibly special taking his parents to Buckingham Palace. “They couldn’t stop crying and it really touched me that I’d made them so proud,” he told Riviera Reporter.
Jack enjoyed several sold-out solo exhibitions in Edinburgh, London, Hong Kong and New York during his life.
Writing on his Facebook page last week, an old Scottish friend Fiona MacLauchlan said: “So very sad 😢. I’ve known Jack since I was 17 and he used to look after my handbag whilst I was away for a “boogie”! He was a lovely guy and treated very badly by the hierarchy of the art establishment. Now being emulated in the art of Banksy. RIP Jack, your contribution will continue as one of the biggest selling artists of all time …💔”
The statement on Jack’s website concludes: “At this time, we ask for privacy as his loved ones come to terms with this loss. Thank you for all the kind messages and tributes already shared – your support means so much.”
Jack Vettriano’s prints are available to order on his website:
https://www.jackvettriano.com/shop/
