Mackintosh, Charles Rennie (1868-1928), was an influential Scottish architect and designer. Mackintosh was a leader in the modern art movement called Art Nouveau, which flourished from the 1890’s to about 1910. However, Mackintosh developed a personal style in his buildings and interior designs that had a strong influence on modern architects of the early 1900’s, especially those in Austria and Germany. In his own country, Mackintosh gained only limited recognition, and few of his building projects were ever finished. He was almost forgotten following his death, but interest in his work revived during the late 1900’s.
Mackintosh’s best-known architecture project is his design for the Glasgow School of Art (1899) and its library and related buildings (1909). He also became recognized for his design for four Glasgow tearooms (1896-1904) commissioned by his patron Catherine Cranston. The tearoom designs included furniture, wall decorations, light fittings, and tableware. The designs reflect a light and elegant quality that contrasted with the heavy, historically based fashion of the day.
Mackintosh was born on June 7, 1868, in Glasgow. He studied architecture at the Glasgow School of Art and joined a local architecture firm in 1889, becoming a partner in 1904. He first gained recognition in the 1890’s for his striking designs for posters and furniture. He collaborated with other art students, including Margaret Macdonald, who became his wife in 1900. Mackintosh moved to England in 1914, virtually giving up his architecture practice to concentrate on water-color painting. He died on Dec. 10, 1928.
