YOU bought it, now go and see it – the painting saved for the nation in a four-month fundraising campaign will go on tour this week.
The Monarch of the Glen, by Edward Landseer, was purchased earlier this year for £4 million after previous owner Diageo offered it to the National Galleries of Scotland in a cut-price deal.
The drinks giant said the famous 1851 artwork had “no direct link” to its business or brands and agreed to sell it the country’s collections for around half of its estimated market value.
The purchase attracted donations from around Scotland and abroad and was part-funded by the National Lottery, the Art Fund and the Scottish Government. After spending the summer in Edinburgh, its tour of four major venues begins at Inverness Museum and Art Gallery tomorrow.
The Victorian piece will then go on show in Perth Museum on November, before being exhibited in Paisley from January 20 and Kirkcudbright between March 25 and May 12.
Sir John Leighton, director general of the National Galleries of Scotland, said: “Thanks to the generosity of The National Lottery and the Scottish Government we are able to take this fantastic picture across the country to be enjoyed by as many people as possible.
“We want this tour of The Monarch of the Glen to be seen as a huge thank you for the overwhelming support that we received during the fundraising campaign and as a celebration that this amazing work of art now belongs to all the people of Scotland.
“We hope that it will be admired and debated by audiences across the country.”
Landseer painted the piece almost 30 years after first visiting Scotland.
It was originally intended as part of a series of three works to be displayed in the House of Lords, but this was never completed and it entered private hands, despite the popularity it garnered after its first show at the Royal Academy in London in the same year it was painted. Widely reproduced, it has since been used to sell soap, soup and whisky as part of advertising campaigns.
Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop said: “I look forward to seeing the Monarch of the Glen continue to attract visitors from far and wide in the years to come.”
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