Lovers and Other Strangers

Description

Jack Vettriano's erotic, provocative and emotionally charged paintings have made him one of Britain's most successful contemporary artists. Collected by celebrities the world over, his exhibitions have regularly sold out and paintings now change hands for millions of pounds. In this beautifully packaged collection, Jack chooses 100 essential canvases that reflect the intensity and passion of his work. An elegant accompanying essay by critic Anthony Quinn recounts Jack's early years and his emergence as a successful artist. Filled with mysterious men and curvy, seductive yet enigmatic women, Jack's paintings are tales without text, storyboards about love and lust, possession and longing, pursuit and conquest. Understanding perfectly the stylish sexiness and intrigue that occurs when high life and low life collide, Jack also hints at memories of golden times, past and lost.

Jack Vettriano was born in Scotland in 1954. He left school at fifteen, became an apprentice mechanical engineer the following year and worked for five years in the Fife coalfields. He began painting in his spare time at the age of 21. In 1989 he submitted two paintings to the Royal Scottish Academy annual exhibition: both pieces were accepted, hung and sold.