Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868 - 1928)

Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the Scottish architect and designer, was one of the most important Art Nouveau designers, with an influence across an extraordinary range of the modern design movement.

From his beloved hometown of Glasgow, seen by many as a provincial city far removed from the centres of art and design of continental Europe, he developed an enduring  and far-reaching influence, with evidence of many of his remarkable architectural designs in his home city.

Ground breaking projects include the Glasgow School of Art, and two great Glaswegian houses; Windyhill and Hillhouse. These designs set his tone with modern, clean lines and maximisation of light.

Mackintosh is equally renowned for his furniture, featuring trademark vertical and horizontal lines and strongly styled designs reflecting the influence of the human form and nature.

With a geometric style allied to abstract forms, he regarded the space around and within his furniture to be as essential to the design as the upholstery or wood.

From a background as an architectural apprecentice Mackintosh attended evening classes at Glasgow School of Art where, working with fellow students, he produced a number of projects in the decorative arts, including highly regarded posters. By 1900 he had showed his furniture for the first time at the Vienna Secession Exhibition. Within three years he was commissioned to design and decorate the "Hill House Chair", beginning his vision of a seamless integration of interior design and architecture.

In a move distancing himself from his contemporaries Mackintosh prioritised design and an artistic vision over craftsmanship. As one of the first designers to break away from the Arts and Crafts movement and use more streamlined detailing and lighter proportions, Mackintosh's work remains highly appraised, as befitting a designer whose work came to be commisioned by major public figures. Mackintosh built a reputation in the field of design and architecture across Europe, developing an influence that remains as strong today as in his lifetime