The Bluebird in the painting is the car that Sir Malcolm Campbell broke the land speed record in on September 3rd, 1935. The specially built Campbell-Railton Bluebird was powered by a supercharged Rolls-Royce R V12, and it broke 300 mph out on the Bonneville salt flats.

Bluebird at Bonneville recently sold for almost $860,000 dollars at a Sotheby’s auction, making it the most expensive Vettriano painting ever sold.

Why do some art critics hate Jack Vettriano? Because he gained popular appeal within his lifetime. That’s the only reason. He’s a skilled, self-taught artist, he sells prints and makes money that way. Art critics are generally failed artists, trying to pass off their opinion as something of value, like art. But it’s not. Critics want art to be an elite affair, where they can have more influence, so when they see a self-taught artist with wide popular appeal, they automatically dismiss him. That’s just how it works.

So don’t worry, it’s ok to like Jack Vettriano’s art, no matter what the art critics say.