Scottish artist Ross Muir has unveiled a brand new painting paying tribute to one of Scotland’s most cherished cultural figures, Sir Billy Connolly.
Launched on Christmas Eve, Billy Cone-lly marks the first time Muir has ever painted Connolly, despite having grown up watching, listening to and quoting him throughout his life.
The painting brings together two instantly recognisable Glasgow icons: Billy Connolly himself, and the long-running tradition of placing a traffic cone on the head of the Duke of Wellington statue outside GoMA in Glasgow’s Royal Exchange Square.
Billy Cone-lly depicts a smiling Connolly with the cone proudly perched atop his head, set against Muir’s trademark bursts of bold colour and expressive paintwork.
READ MORE:
Sir Billy Connolly makes rare public appearance to pick up top honour
Peter Kay shares update on Sir Billy Connolly’s health
What today’s wild swimmers can learn from Billy Connolly’s swimming in the North Sea
The artist said: “Billy is such a massive cultural icon that, if I’m being honest, I’ve always been a bit nervous about painting him.
“But this just felt like the right time and the right context. After the year a lot of people have had, we could all do with more Billy – his humour, lightness and spirit.”
The new work follows a standout year for Muir. In October, he released Cona-Lisa – his Glaswegian reworking of the Mona Lisa, which sold out quickly and drew widespread attention.
More recently, his collaborative work Two Sons, created alongside renowned Scottish painter Peter Howson, was also a sell-out success, adding to a growing body of work that blends humour, resilience and working-class Scottish identity.
Billy Cone-lly continues that theme, celebrating not just a man, but a shared cultural icon.
For more information, visit: rossmuirart.com