Details

Object type

painting; portrait

Title

Alexander Reid

Artist/Maker

Vincent van Gogh artist

Culture/School

Dutch

Date

1887

Materials

oil on board

Dimensions

unframed: 420 x 330 mm; framed: 682 x 600 x 97 mm

Description

Animated by fiery touches of red, orange and green, this portrait has an enigmatic and expressive power. Reid worked in Paris with Van Gogh's art dealer brother Theo and, for a short while, shared the brothers' Montmartre apartment.

Until 1928 this was believed to be a self-portrait of Van Gogh. Reid's son saw the painting in a catalogue, contacted the artist's family and told them it was actually a portrait of his father.

Why the confusion? An artist friend of Reid and Vincent write that the two men were so alike that 'they might have been twins. I have often hesitated, until I got close, as to which of them I was meeting'.

Credit Line/Donor

Purchased with the assistance of the National Fund for Acquisitions, the National Art Collections Fund, an anonymous donor and public subscription, 1974

ID Number

3315

Location

Kelvingrove French Art Gallery