Big Yin’s artwork goes on sale
ART works which once adorned the walls of Billy Connolly’s Scottish retreat are being sold by a top gallery.
The Big Yin’s corrugated iron cows, flamingos and dancing vicars were all passed on to a neighbouring gallery when the comedian moved to New York in 2014.
His inner city townhouse was not big enough to keep all of his vast collection of quirky art but now fans of the national treasure can get their hands on some of his favourite art pieces.
The works, which previously decorated Candacraig House in Aberdeenshire, are on show at the McEwan Gallery, near Ballater in Royal Deeside.
The collection includes surreal paintings by Beryl Cook, John Bellany, Peter Howson, David M Bowers and James Grainger.
They feature alongside traditional works including The Christmas Pudding by William Mac-Duff and an antique print of Joseph Farquharson’s Fishing on the Dee.
Billy and his wife Pamela sold their B-listed Baronial home in Aberdeenshire in 2014 having bought it from Body Shop founder Anita Roddick in 1998.
Rhod McEwan, owner of the McEwan Gallery, said there had been a lot of interest in the Connolly collection.
He said: “They have been attracting a lot of interest.
“Visitors are stopped in their tracks when they see the cows – they are very still and lend an air of serenity about the place. They are very realistic.”