Ed Sheeran has been immortalised in a magnificent oil painting

The red hair, the scruffy beard, the faraway look – can Ed Sheeran count Vincent Van Gogh among his ancestors?

A portrait of the pop star that will hang in the National Portrait Gallery in London bears a striking similarity to a self-portrait of the post-impressionist artist, the Daily Mail reports.

The 4ft-square canvas was painted by acclaimed Belfast-based artist Colin Davidson. Sheeran, 26, who has a tattoo inspired by Van Gogh’s Starry Night, said he "jumped at the opportunity" to sit for Davidson.

Portraits of Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John and David Bowie also hang at the gallery and Sheeran, whose many hits include Thinking Out Loud, said he was humbled that his image will hang alongside "some of the greats of British music".

Davidson, who has included the Queen among his sitters, painted the singer after being introduced to his father John, an art historian and curator.

He hopes that his portrait offers "an alternative insight, one which allows the viewer to glimpse the source of Ed's unique creativity".

Gallery director Nicholas Cullinan described Sheeran as "one o today’s most influential musicians and singer-songwriters". 

Sheeran posed for Davidson for three hours at his home in Suffolk in August 2015, when Davidson made 20 drawings from life and took reference photographs to create the final portrait.

The finished product shows the singer wearing a dark top, looking thoughtfully off to the side of the frame.

The artist said: "When painting a portrait I am looking for the moment when the person is almost unaware of me being there and I feel I got it with Ed.

"I deliberately didn't want Ed to perform and that was odd for him. But there is a youthful aspect to the portrait but also something experienced beyond his years."

He added: "It has been a true privilege to get to know Ed and his family. It is my hope that this new portrait offers an alternative insight, one which allows the viewer to glimpse the source of Ed's unique creativity."

Davidson, who participated in the National Portrait Gallery's BP Portrait Award three times between 2011 and 2013, winning the BP Portrait Award Visitor's Choice Award in 2012, is best known for his larger-than-life portraits.

He said: "They are all deliberately the same size; the idea is that everyone I paint is an equal and that format allows the face to become something else.

"If you see a painting of a face that is life-size, it never becomes anything else, it is a head. If it is smaller or bigger it can become something else."

He has painted another portrait of Sheeran, which is in a private collection.

Dr Nicholas Cullinan, director of the National Portrait Gallery, said: "I am very pleased that the National Portrait Gallery has been able to acquire this striking portrait of Ed Sheeran, who is undoubtedly one of today's most popular and influential musicians and singer-songwriters."

Sheeran is currently on tour with his new album, and recently let out that he would be singing in Game of Thrones when he makes his debut on the cult show.

This article was first published on Daily Mail and is republished here with permission.