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Highly anticipated Jack Vettriano exhibition postponed as precaution

18 May 2020

In light of current and potential Scottish Government guidelines regarding the Covid-19 lockdown and social distancing, ONFife is postponing the much-anticipated Jack Vettriano: The Early Years exhibition at Kirkcaldy Galleries.

Working in close liaison with the artist and collectors who are generously lending works from private collections, ONFife has taken the decision to reschedule this major show until next year and it will now be held from June 18 to October 24 2021.

The exhibition, which had been due to open in September, had attracted widespread attention, locally and across the UK as well as internationally., However with increased uncertainty over the timing and phasing of the easing of lockdown restrictions, it has been decided it would be better to postpone now as a precaution rather than disappoint thousands of Vettriano followers if the show had to be cancelled at a later date..

“We are obviously disappointed – both for the public and staff who had been looking forward so much to this major exhibition – but it is only right that we err on the side of caution,” said Heather Stuart, chief executive.

However, the postponement has brought a silver lining.

The new dates cover a longer period – 18 weeks instead of the original 10 – giving more people an opportunity to attend over the summer and October holiday periods.

It has also allowed ONFife to reduce the number of visitors per time slot and extend the time each visitor can spend at the exhibition.

“Once the decision was taken to postpone, we looked at how we could use the opportunity to make it an even better experience for visitors,” Heather Stuart added.

All current ticket holders will be contacted to arrange new dates before tickets go on general sale again on Tuesday, 15 June.

The exhibition has generated widespread interest as it will feature early paintings by Vettriano, including nearly a dozen produced before he decided to become a full-time artist and are signed Jack Hoggan, his birth name.

In recognition of the process of development and evolution that has taken him from the self-taught artist who was turned down by art college to one of the world’s most highly sought after living painters, Vettriano decided the time was right to publicly acknowledge some of his earliest works and has chosen to return to Fife where he was born and spent his formative years.

The exhibition is a celebration of his extraordinary career and will be showing paintings he created from in his 20s until he moved to London in 2000.

Ends

For further information please contact: Sheona Small, press officer, 07809 727 989 or email: sheona.small@onfife.com

Notes to editors: ONFife (Fife Cultural Trust) is a registered charity and manages and operates theatres, libraries, museums and galleries and cultural partnerships on behalf of Fife Council for people living, working and visiting Fife. Further information can be found at www.onfife.com

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