The Singing Butler painter Jack Vettriano dies aged 73

Self-taught Scottish painter Jack Vettriano has been found dead at his apartment in Nice, in the south of France, his publicist said.

- MAIRA BUTT

The 73-year-old, who was born Jack Hoggan on 17 November 1951, in Methil, Fife, was found on Saturday. It is understood there are no suspicious circumstances around his death.

His publicist said in a statement: “Jack Vettriano’s passing marks the end of an era for contemporary Scottish art. His evocative and timeless works will continue to captivate and inspire future generations.”

The artist grew up in poverty, sharing a bed with his brother. He worked to earn a living from the age of 10, with his miner father taking half his wage. He left school at 15 to become a mining engineer.

In the 1970s, a girlfriend brought him a set of watercolours for his 21st birthday, at which point Vettriano immersed himself in art.

He taught himself by studying art at the Kirkcaldy Galleries.

Vettriano’s early paintings were imitations of the work of other artists, particularly the Impressionists; his first was a copy of Claude Monet’s Poppy Fields.

He left his wife and quit his job in educational research at age 36, but had his artwork rejected after he applied to study fine art at the University of Edinburgh.