Plea to see Monarch in the Glens

Arts: National Galleries of Scotland in funds drive to buy iconic Scottish painting

A fundraising campaign has been launched by the National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) to secure one of the world’s most famous paintings.

The Monarch of the Glen, painted by Sir Edwin Landseer in 1851, features an iconic image of a stag in a misty Highlands landscape.

A partnership between NGSandthe painting’s current owner – global drinks company Diageo – was agreed in November last year.

Under the agreement, Diageo will gift half the estimated market value of the painting to allow the gallery to acquire the artwork for £4 million by March 17.

This will allow the symbolic painting to remain in public view in Scotland for visitors to enjoy.

The campaign has already raised £3.25million towards the final target, supported by donations from such as the Heritage Lottery Fund, who pledged £2.75million, andArtFund, who gave £350,000.

Sir John Leighton, director-general of the National Galleries of Scotland, said: “There has been a great response to the news that we have a fantastic opportunity to acquire this iconic image for Scotland.

“However, we still have

“Fantastic opportunity to acquire this iconic image for Scotland”

someway to go to reach our £4million target and with only one month left until the deadline, wearekeen to reach out to the public to help ensure The Monarch of the Glen can stay in Scotland to be enjoyed for generations to come.”

TheMonarch of the Glen has been in private andcorporate collections since it was painted.