This man is apparently the world's most convincing Van Gogh lookalike
LONDON -- A British actor has been named the world's best Vincent Van Gogh lookalike after a global search to find the artist's doppelganger.
Actor Dan Baker, 35, beat 1,250 contestants from 37 countries in an international competition to find someone who bears a resemblance to the Dutch painter.
Van Gogh -- who died 126 years ago -- is best known for his unique Post-Impressionist style, and his most famous works include "Sunflowers," "The Starry Night," along with his self-portraits.
After a friend told Baker that the global search for a lookalike was underway, he decided to send a photo of himself to see what would happen.
The man behind the competition is Canadian novelist Douglas Coupland -- best known for writing 1991 novel Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture -- who intends to enlist the winner as a model for an enormous bronze sculpture of Van Gogh's head.
Baker's red hair, beard and high cheekbones made him stand out in the contest as a strong contender.
Baker was asked to send in more photos of himself before taking part in a Skype interview before being named the 'most accurate' lookalike and a £4,000 ($4,975) prize.
Baker's face has already undergone a 3D scanning process so Coupland can create the bronze bust of the artist, which will go on display at a Canadian vineyard in 2017.
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
