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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 wrote 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'.

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

Title

Alexander Reid (1854–1928)

Date

1887

Medium

oil on board

Measurements

H 42 x W 33 cm

Accession number

3315

Acquisition method

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