Portrait of Alexander Reid

Van Gogh's Portrait of Alexander Reid, painted in Paris in 1887 and now at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow, depicts the Scottish art dealer who was a significant early supporter of Post-Impressionist painting in Britain. Reid was in Paris at the same time as Van Gogh and shared lodgings with him and Theo for a brief period; their physical resemblance was noted by contemporaries. Reid went on to introduce the French Impressionists and Post-Impressionists to British collectors, playing a crucial role in the movement's reception in Scotland. The Kelvingrove's holding gives this portrait particular significance as a work of Glasgow cultural heritage.

The portrait shows Van Gogh's Paris period self-portrait technique applied to another subject — the light palette, the varied Impressionist-influenced brushwork. Reid's face is rendered with direct observation, the sitter's character emerging through the specific quality of Van Gogh's attentive looking. The background is relatively simple, focusing attention on the sitter's face and collar.