Van Gogh’s friend comes home for Cowalfest

Not the man himself as he died in 1928, nor the original of the famous portrait of him painted by Vincent Van Gogh – but Cowalfest, Argyll’s October festival of walking and arts, has been granted permission to use images of the famous portrait of Alexander Reid for its exhibition, Alexander Reid and the Japanese Influence – Art, ships and plants.

This is not only a Cowalfest homecoming, it’s a homecoming for Cowal as few know much of Alex Reid beyond his widespread reputation as the Glasgow art dealer who was friendly with and painted by Vincent Van Gogh.

In fact, Reid lived in Dunoon on the Cowal Peninsula for 20 years and for 18 years also served as an Argyll county councillor.

As a keen walker, the affinity of Cowalfest for Alexander Reid is a strong one.  He was also a sportsman, artist, entrepreneur, hard bargaining salesman, plausible politician, nurturer and worldwide promoter of Scottish artistic talent, Burns enthusiast, avid collector of Japanese prints, a Francophile described by one of his friends as ‘a perfervid Scot’.

Alex Reid’s story mirrors the times he lived in, with his  exuberant yet challenging fin de siècle merging of Glasgow, Paris and Cowal.

His friendships with avant garde artists, his introduction of their works to Scotland, and his vigorous promotion of Scottish artists made him a significant force in Scotland’s cultural standing, giving art in Scotland a close association with that in France and making Scottish art known in Europe and America.

Cowalfest 2009 is both a Homecoming Scotland event and a Japan-UK 150 event in a year of celebrations of the signing of a treaty of friendship and trade between Japan and the UK. This marked the end of Japan’s 250 years of isolation. In its re-emergence as a growing industrial nation, a number of Scots played key roles, with 2009 being the 150th anniversary of Thomas Glover’s  arrival in Nagasaki, just as Japan was beginning to open up to the west.

Fraserburgh-born Glover is now known as the Scottish Samurai and was awarded the 2nd highest honour of Japan – the Order of the Rising Sun – by Emperor Meiji in 1908 for his significant contributions to the country’s modernisation.

In bringing both celebrations together, the Cowalfest exhibition provides an intriguing glimpse into the world of Alexander Reid and the connections and cross influences between Scotland and Japan in the latter half of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th.

2009 is the centenary of Reid’s visit to Japan in 1909.The exhibition and the accompanying booklet looks at:

• the influence of Japanese art on European and Scottish painters
• the world of industry and shipbuilding, many of whose firms had close links with Japan
• the enormous wealth these links generated for Scotland’s merchant princes
• the passion for art collecting and plants collections by the merchant princes of the time.

In the years Reid lived in Dunoon, the Cowal Peninsula and the Clyde Estuary were the playground of the rich and royal with connections across the globe. The Japanese connections are no less fascinating by being previously overlooked.

A booklet specially written by exhibition curator, Dorothy Bruce: Alexander Reid and the Japanese Influence : Art, ships and plants,  from the Cowalfest Publishing imprint at £4.99 ISBN 978-0-9553312-3-7, will be published in conjunction with the opening of the exhibition on 9th October.

Those who assisted the homecoming passage of Alexander Reid to Cowal

Cowalfest would like to record its thanks to Culture and Sport Glasgow, SCRAN, The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, Nagasaki University Library, The National Library of Scotland, Consulate General of Japan, The Viscount Weir, Forestry Commission Scotland, Ardkinglas Estate, Argyll & Bute Library Service, Mitchell Library Glasgow, Cowal Camera Club.

Their help and Homecoming Scotland 2009 support from Argyll & Bute Council and Argyll & the Islands Leader has made it possible to bring Alexander Reid home for Cowalfest.

Cowalfest 2009

Cowalfest runs from 9th to 18th October. Its website carries information on the festival’s 86 walks, cycling, horse riding, talks, house tours, drama, Dunoon shop window gallery; and on the exhibition – Alexander Reid and the Japanese Influence – Art, ships and plants.

The images above, of the Van Gogh portrait of Alexander Reid and of Thomas Glover are both out of copyright and are in the public domain.