Where’s the painting?
Vettriano f lat goes on sale again... minus original on the wall
WHEN Scots artist Jack Vettriano put his flat up for sale, it had a unique selling point – one of his original works painted onto a cupboard door.
But now developers have managed to add £1.25 million to the original asking price – by removing all trace of the distinctive painting.
Vettriano put his luxury flat in London’s Knightsbridge on the market in August 2013 for £2 million after deciding to move back to Edinburgh.
While the prime location near Harrods and Sloane Street might have been enough to persuade many buyers, it was the picture on a boiler cupboard door that made the first-floor apartment stand out.
Vettriano, 63, bought the property for £450,000 in 1998 and used it as both his home and studio – but became irritated by the sight of the boring closet every time he set up his easel. To hide the lines of the door, which is in the living room, he had a frame made up and painted directly inside it.
The artwork, titled Suddenly Last Summer, shows a woman in 1950sstyle clothing resting a gloved hand against a car. It was said to have been inspired by a love affair the Fife-born artist had with a married woman.
Despite the quirky feature – which could have been worth up to £300,000 itself – the property took three months and a £125,000 price cut to sell.
In the year since Vettriano sold the flat, it has undergone significant refurbishment, with the addition of an extra bedroom and bathroom.
Agent WA Ellis is marketing the ‘superb home’ with a £3.25 million price tag.
But Emanuel Spanakis, speaking on behalf of the owner, last week confirmed that the painting was not included.
He said: ‘We were interested in the flat, the painting was an added benefit. It’s still sitting on that door, we just took off the door with the painting and it’s now lying against a wall in my office.
‘We had a few ideas about putting it back there, but we decided not to use it in the property.
‘If somebody wants it, if somebody is a big fan of Jack Vettriano and wants to buy the flat with the painting, I suppose we could put it back.’
Mr Spanakis said he was familiar with Vettriano’s work, but would not describe himself as a ‘fan’.
He added: ‘Buying the property was not because it was owned by Jack Vettriano, we bought it because it’s a nice flat.
‘It has a nice living room with good light, the location was great, it’s on the first floor with high ceilings and has a nice aspect. It was reasonably priced and I saw potential.’