THE Singing Butler, the most famous painting by the popular Scottish painter Jack Vettriano, is go on public display for the first time in 20 years.
The painting broke records when it was sold at a Sotheby's auction in 2004 for £744,800.
Now it is to feature in a new exhibition alongside works by Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet and Henri Matisse – as well as Scottish artists including Peploe and McTaggart.
From Van Gogh to Vettriano – Hidden Gems from Private Collections opens to the public today at Aberdeen Art Gallery.
The Singing Butler, which depicts a couple dancing on a windy beach, was originally featured in the 1992 exhibition God's Children and sold at the time for £1800. It was sold at Sotheby's by its second owner and went to a private buyer in 2004, bidding by telephone.
The new exhibition focuses on the connections between the public holdings of the city and the tastes of its private collectors which have been successfully built up over the years.
Christine Rew, manager of Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museum, said: "This display gives a fascinating insight into the art - collected in the north-east today."
From Van Gogh To Vettriano runs at Aberdeen City Art Gallery from February 4 to April 14.
l A rare print of one of the world's most famous paintings will go on show later this year when a major private collection comes to the UK for the first time. Edvard Munch's The Scream will go on public view for five months at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art from April 7.
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