A Portrait of Alexander Reid: How Van Gogh’s painting tells the story of his bond with his Glasgow flatmate

One of Glasgow Museum’s most recognisable paintings - Portrait of Alexander Reid, by Vincent Van Gogh - tells a tale about the Dutch master artist and his relationship with the painted figure that goes much deeper than brush strokes on canvas.

The painting’s home is now at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum - after spending most of its life changing hands between art dealers and gallerys across Europe - it’s only been in Glasgow for the last 50 years.

Painted in 1887 and purchased by the City of Glasgow in 1974, Portrait of Alexander Reid is one of many crown jewels of Glasgow’s museum collection.

It’s viewed by over one million people each year, alongside the likes of Christ St John of the Cross by Salvador Dali.

Until 1928 many believed it to be a self-portrait of Van Gogh.

It was only when Reid’s son saw the painting in a catalogue and contacted the artist’s family to explain it was a portrait of his father that the sitter’s identity became known.

An artist friend of Reid and Van Gogh wrote 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’.

But how did a middle-class boy from Glasgow manage to encounter and befriend one of the most influential and recognisable artists of all time?

Who was Alexander Reid?

Alexander Reid was born in Glasgow and grew up in Finnieston - while in education he studied at Glasgow High School until he left at 15 to help out his dad in his cabinet making business.

With help from their son - and a workforce of around 80 men - the Reids expanded their business into interior furnishings, which eventually led to picture frames before Alexander found his calling - selling framed original artworks.

Pursuing his passion, Alexander opened an art gallery on St Vincent Street - promoting the work of American artists with names that sound odd to the Glaswegian ear, like: Mary Bacon Martin. In 1882 the Reids family business was devastated by a fire while they were completely uninsured - so the family went all-in on Alexander’s art gallery endeavour.

How did Alexander Reid meet Van Gogh?

Alexander hoped to expand his knowledge to support his family, and in 1886 he moved to Paris to study under Theo Van Gogh - the art dealer brother of Vincent Van Gogh.

It wasn’t long until Reid encountered the Dutch painter - and the two struck up a good friendship - so much so that Vincent moved in with Alexander Reid and Theo at 54 Rue Lepic - right next to the Moulin Rouge.

They lived together for a little under a year - before Reid moved out on good terms to his own place at 6 Place d’Anvers. The pair remained good friends, with Vincent introducing Reid other artists, including Toulouse-Lautrec and fellow Scot John Peter Russell.

The pair were reportedly closer than brothers, according to Inside Museums, a documentary which featured the Portrait of Alexander Reid in an episode, even entering into a suicide pact together, if the recollections of artist friends is to be believed.

When did Van Gogh paint Alexander Reid?

Van Gogh painted the Glaswegian between 1887 and 1888 - the Dutch artist completed two portraits of Reid after he had moved to his own place in Paris.

How did van Gogh and Alexander Reid fall out?

Vincent Van Gogh and Reid fell out in 1889 - owing to Reid being unable to promote Vincent’s work, or other works by contemporary artists at the time, in Scotland.

Alexander would later blame his father James Reid’s failure to back the scheme.

Vincent also claimed to dislike Reid’s merchant spirit, which came first for him above his artistic interests.

Whilst Reid’s father played a role it was Alexander’s own unwillingness to invest in Post-Impressionist Art at this stage which ultimately soured the relationship between the pair.

It was at this same time that Reid returned to Scotland full-time, spending less and less time in Paris, due in no small part to his falling out with van Gogh.

Tragically, the pair never reconcilled before van Gogh died in the summer of 1890, just a year later.

Despit bitter words exchanged, van Gogh would reference his Glasgow pal in a letter to his brother Theo. He wrote that he ‘thought of Reid often when reading Shakespeare.’

How important was Alexander Reid?

Through his social networking in Paris, Alexander Reid became one of the most influential art dealers in Europe in the early 20th century, exhibiting and selling artworks by some of the finest artists of the period.

His portfolio was vast, dealing with the Impressionists, the Post-Impressionists, the Glasgow Boys and the Scottish Colourists - many of which can be found in Kelvingrove today and across the Glasgow museum collection.

Famously in Glasgow, he helped build up the French painting collection of Sir William Burrell, and many of the works he dealt with now feature in major private, civic and national art collections all over the world.

Burrell was a constant client of Reid, he thought he had a great eye for art - so much so that many of the pieces of art now on public display in The Burrell Collection in Glasgow were brought to the city by Alexander Reid.

Why was Alexander Reid called ‘Monticelli Reid’?

In 1887 Reid began bringing Japanese prints back to his Glasgow gallery. In the same year he befriended Adolphe Monticelli and began to promote his work in the Paris gallery.

In January 1888 he organised the first British exhibition of Monticelli’s work: at the Dowdeswell gallery in London.

His relationship with Monticelli was so close in fact, that back home in Glasgow the art crowd began to call him ‘Monticelli Reid’.

What did Alexander Reid do after his time with van Gogh?

On his return to Glasgow, he set up his own gallery, La Societe des Beaux-Arts, on West George Street in the city centre, hoping to take advantage of his newly acquired connections and collection, he exhibied the work of the Impressionists, Post-Impressionists, the Glasgow Boys, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes and Japanese prints.

He moved around a bit, living firstly on Jane Street near Blythswood Square, then with his sister Helen at Carlton Gardens (now Striven Gardens in the west end) before he got married and moved to Dunoon with his wife Ava.

He would have a child, Alexander James McNeill Reid, in 1893. The name “McNeill” appears to be a homage to his artist friend James McNeill Whistler.

McNeill Reid would join the family dealership in 1913 - and continue to trade art throughout the 20th century, taking tutelage from his father.

Tragically, Ada would die from an abdominal infection in 1915. Reid was reportedly devastated by her death and left Dunoon to live with his sister Helen at 3 Carlton Gardens.

He married Ava’s cousin, Eva, seven months later in December of 2015. They would subsequently move to Kelvinside.

Alexander Reid died in 1928 with his son continuing the family’s art dealer business into the next generation.