JACK Vettriano, whose paintings are more popular than Monet's, yesterday admitted he was still hurt by the reaction of the art establishment to his work.
He said: ''I would be lying if I said that some of the things they have said over the years haven't bothered me. They have. They have a fairly arrogant stance.''
The national galleries in Scotland and England refuse to display his work, and declined to comment on their reasons when asked by the South Bank Show for a programme on Vettriano broadcast last night.
This summer, a new exhibition of Vettriano's work will go on show at the Portland Gallery in London, including Along Came A Spider and An Imperfect Past, photographs of which were released yesterday.
Both are typical of Vettriano's work, depicting beautiful and mysterious women and inviting his audience to create a story to explain the snapshots of life before them.
It is this storytelling aspect that has made the former miner from Methil, Fife, a hugely popular, and wealthy, artist. His original works, rejected by both Britain's Royal Academy and the Scottish Arts Council in 1991, fetch more than (pounds) 40,000 and hang in the homes of celebrities such as Jack Nicholson and Robbie Coltrane.
The Singing Butler, which Vettriano painted and sold in 1992 for (pounds) 3000, will be auctioned by Sotheby's on April 19, when it is expected to change hands for more than (pounds) 200,000.
He said: ''My pictures tell stories. There is a narrative in each one. They speak to me and, it seems, strike a chord with other people as well.''
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