Big Yin goes larger than life
COMEDY legend Billy Connolly is about to become an even bigger part of Glasgow. Three 50ft murals of the Big Yin are going on display in the city centre to mark the comedian’s 75th birthday.
They are based on portraits by artists John Byrne, Jack Vettriano and Rachel Maclean, who is currently representing Scotland at the Venice Biennale.
The tribute has been commissioned by BBC Scotland in partnership with Glasgow City Council and Glasgow Life.
John Byrne has created a portrait of Billy as he is now, which will go on a wall end in Osborne Street.
An old friend, who famously painted a portrait of Billy in the 1970s, Byrne said:“He is a one-off. He is... larger than life.”
Jack Vettriano’s tribute features a windblown Billy on a storm-lashed coast near John O’Groats, from the comedian’s World Tour of Scotland series in 1994. It will be showcased in Dixon Street.
A Rachel Maclean digital print of Billy, replete with motifs from his career such as his, “mini bike parked in bum” is going up in the Gallowgate.
The original works will go on display in the People’s Palace from June 15 and will also be featured in a specially commissioned BBC Scotland programme Billy Connolly: Portrait of a Lifetime, to be screened next month.
Budding artists are also being invited to submit their own portraits of Billy Connolly via social media using the hashtag #BigYinPortrait. The best will be featured in an online gallery.
Duncan Dorna, Head of Glasgow Museums, said: “Billy Connolly needs no introduction to the people of Glasgow.
“His boundless talent as a comedian, actor and presenter makes him one of Scotland’s most famous sons and so it is fitting these extraordinary works of art, commemorating this significant birthday, are to be displayed in Glasgow for the city’s people and visitors to enjoy.”