Aberdeen’s lord provost denies painting himself into a corner after plans to have his official portrait produced in Russia fell through.
Barney Crockett confirmed the project – hoped to add to the vaults of oil paintings of lord provosts going back hundreds of years – was “very much in the deep freeze, long term”.
Even then, it remains unclear how the portrait will be funded if it ever comes to fruition.
More than 3 million people are estimated to have fled their homes since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
It could leave the Aberdeen Labour councillor, who has served as the city’s civic head since 2017, putting his hand in his own pocket to pay for work that has been ongoing in the Eurasian country for months.
Lord provost: Ukraine invasion is a ‘catastrophe’
Russian artist George Dmitriev was lined up to capture the lord provost’s likeness – despite being more celebrated for his seascapes.
Mr Crockett had an initial two-hour sitting with the artist in between meetings in Moscow during an energy conference last year.
The Dyce, Bucksburn and Danestone member has confirmed – despite his earlier appointment – the city will not be made to bankroll the work.
“There is nothing committed by the council,” Lord Provost Barney Crockett told us.
“Obviously what is happening in Ukraine is a catastrophe and given the portrait is in Russia, it will take a long time and I don’t envisage the council being involved.”
Aberdeen has severed its twinning link with Belarussian city Gomel over the country’s support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
And £25,000 from the city’s common good fund has been set aside to help Ukrainians arriving in the UK.
Budget for lord provost’s portrait made finding local artist ‘very difficult’
A total of £10,000 was set aside for the traditional portrait of the lord provost, to be paid from the city’s common good fund.
The P&J understands £8,000 was the price agreed with the Russian painter, with the cost of travel for the October sitting covered by the lord provost’s pre-existing trip.
Originally there were plans for Mr Dmitriev to travel to Scotland for the final studies for the portrait, with airfares expected to be covered with the remaining £2,000.
It was this foreign portrait shopping – reliant on expensive and carbon-intensive flight – that originally caused opponents to raise concerns with The P&J.
SNP group leader on the council, Alex Nicoll, told us: “This shows a lack of judgement on the lord provost’s part.
“At a time we need our city to be seen as a global leader on climate change, I cannot understand why the lord provost was planning on having portraits and artists flying the length of Europe.
“I’m sure plenty of up and coming local artists would have been interested in a commission like this. If we want to encourage artists in our city then we can’t afford to overlook them with opportunities like this.”
So why turn to Russia? ‘The price of portraits has rocketed’
Mr Dmitriev was picked for the job on the recommendation of the Moscow Caledonian Club, with whom the lord provost met during his October trip.
But Mr Crockett said he had been forced to look abroad for the commission because £10,000 was not enough.
He added: “To be blunt, we had a set budget and it would have been very difficult to get a portrait within that.
“The price of portraits has rocketed, I was told, and so to get one at the kind of money budgeted would be very difficult.
“I thought that it would be one possibility to look at our contacts in Russia and see if we could meet some of the budgetary requirements.
“But also I’m keen to encourage relationships between Aberdeen and different countries – and Russia was one of them.
“Now, of course, anything involving Russia is very much in the deep freeze long term for me and everyone else.
“The invasion of Ukraine is a dreadful situation.”
Despite the foreign surroundings while sitting for the painting, Mr Crockett assured us – if the artwork ever makes it to the north-east – it would have a familiar Aberdeen backdrop.
But he would not reveal any more, wanting to keep some mystery in case the portrait ever does make its way to the west.
How much did the portrait of Aberdeen’s last lord provost cost?
A search for local artists from Grampian and Tayside was undertaken for the £10,000 portrait of Mr Crockett’s predecessor.
Former lord provost George Adam’s oil painting was unveiled in August 2020, delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Dundee-based Steven Higginson was picked from a shortlist of four artists to add Mr Adam’s face to the city’s collection of lord provost portraits.
Lord Provost: ‘Portrait tradition is important’
With the local authority tasked with cutting tens of millions from budgets each year, suggestions have been made to replace the traditional and costly oil paintings with modern – and more cost effective – photography.
But that’s a step too far for Mr Crockett, who told us one of Aberdeen’s greatest strengths is its deep-rooted history.
“Leaving me out of it, it would be sad to see a long line of portraits and then a photograph.
“I am not in any great flap about my portrait – I am not vain – but I think tradition is important, even for tourism and our heritage.”
