We all love those stories about those people who failed to spot commercial opportunity. Publishers who rejected Harry Potter, record labels that turned down The Beatles, cavemen who didn’t invest in fire…
Meet Alexander Reid, the dude in this portrait. He went to Paris in the 1880s, hung out with an artist, and returned with a couple of paintings, but his father declared them “atrocities” and sold them for chump change. If you want to see those atrocities today, you can go to a museum and look under the name Vincent van Gogh. Thanks, Dad.
Almost as sad is the case of another man who also knew van Gogh, and had a chance to buy one of the artist’s still lifes for loose change, but didn’t feel like carrying it back to his hotel. Here is their story:
Portrait of Alexander Reid by Vincent van Gogh in an undated photo. REUTERS/Handout
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