Painting defaced by artist is bought by the National Portrait Gallery The artist was known for his dislike of self promotion but was persuaded to let Martin Wyld, the head of conservation at the National Gallery, restore the painting. Aitchison agreed under the proviso that the scars would remain visible. Paul Moorhouse, a curator at the National Portrait Gallery said: "Craigie Aitchison was a highly distinctive artist whose singular vision was rooted in an acute sensitivity to colour and subtle implications of meaning. We are delighted that this fascinating self-portrait survived the artist's momentary destructive doubts and can now be seen by future generations. The image remained in the hands of the painter until his death in December 2009. It was bought by the gallery with the help of fashion designer Paul Smith and Terence and Angela Danziger Miles, for £36,512. This is the first portrait by Aitchison the National Portrait Gallery have acquired, although photographic portraits of the artist, by Ida Kar, Steve Speller and Jonathan Root are part of the gallery's collection. Aitchison lived for over 35 years in the same Victorian town house in London and kept Bedlington terriers and canaries. Last week the man who defaced a £9 million Rothko painting was jailed for two years.