1868–1928 · British[4]
Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Mackintosh died holding a pencil. By then, December 1928[4], throat cancer had taken his voice, and he had spent his final months in a London clinic unable to speak or eat. He was sixty years old. The Times noted his significance to modernism. Glasgow, the city that had largely ignored him for two decades, would take considerably longer to notice.
Biography
He was the fourth of eleven children, seven of whom survived infancy. His father was a police superintendent. The boy was probably dyslexic, struggled badly at school, and used sketchbooks to manage what appear to have been emotional difficulties. He had a contracted sinew in one foot that gave him a limp, and childhood rheumatic fever left one side of his face permanently drooped. None of this stopped him drawing.
He enrolled at Glasgow School of Art at fifteen, studying part-time while apprenticed to the architect John Hutchinson. In 1889[4] he joined Honeyman and Keppie, where he would remain for nearly two decades. He met Margaret Macdonald in 1892. Together with her sister Frances and Herbert McNair, they formed a group that became known as The Four. Mackintosh and Margaret married in 1900. He acknowledged publicly that Margaret had genius where he had only talent.
His greatest commission was the Glasgow School of Art building itself, won in competition in 1897[4]. The library wing, completed in 1909, is considered one of the finest interiors of the twentieth century. He designed all four tea rooms for the entrepreneur Catherine Cranston, going so far as to specify the waitresses' dresses and order the flowers. In Vienna, at the eighth Secessionist Exhibition in 1900, his work was received with an enthusiasm Glasgow never matched.
His style fell from favour. He drank. He was asked to leave his firm. In 1914[4] he and Margaret moved to Walberswick in Suffolk, where he was briefly arrested as a suspected German spy because of his Vienna correspondence and unusual manner. He was released without charge but effectively driven from the village.
In 1923[4], they moved to Port Vendres in the south of France. The light and landscape revived him. He painted watercolours of the surrounding hills and harbour with an obsessive attention to geological detail, completing around forty before returning to London for the last time.
Timeline
- 1868Born in Townhead, Glasgow, the fourth of eleven children to a police superintendent father.
- 1884At 16, apprenticed to the Glasgow architect John Hutchison while attending evening classes at Glasgow School of Art.
- 1891At 23, won a scholarship and used the prize to fund three months sketching in Italy, visiting Venice, Rome and Sicily.
- 1897At 29, won the competition to design the new Glasgow School of Art building, the project that would make his international reputation.
- 1900At 32, married fellow artist Margaret Macdonald in Glasgow and exhibited at the Vienna Secession to critical acclaim.
- 1914At 46, left Glasgow for Walberswick, Suffolk, after resigning his partnership and struggling to find architectural commissions.
- 1923At 55, moved to Port-Vendres in southern France, abandoning architecture entirely to focus on watercolour painting.
- 1928Died aged 60 in London after returning from France for treatment of throat and tongue cancer.
Notable Works
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Where to See Charles Rennie Mackintosh
2 museums worldwide.
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34 worksHunterian Museum and Art Gallery
Glasgow, United Kingdom
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Charles Rennie Mackintosh prints
Hand-finished archival prints from Charles Rennie Mackintosh's body of work.
Bouleternère - Charles Rennie Mackintosh
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Still Life with Carnations - Fine Art Print
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Still Life of Anemones - Charles Rennie Mackintosh
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Fairies - Charles Rennie Mackintosh
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Mimosa, Amélie-les-Bains (January 1924) - Fine Art Print
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Music Room Interior Design - Charles Rennie Mackintosh
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Related Artists
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See all Charles Rennie Mackintosh prints →Frequently Asked Questions
Charles rennie mackintosh art movement?
Charles Rennie Mackintosh, along with Margaret Macdonald, Frances MacDonald, and Herbert MacNair, formed an artistic group known as The Four.How did charles rennie mackintosh die?
Charles Rennie Mackintosh died in 1928[4] at the age of 60.Was charles rennie mackintosh art nouveau?
Charles Rennie Mackintosh was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1868[4], and he pursued architectural training in his native city.What is charles rennie mackintosh famous for designing?
Charles Rennie Mackintosh is famous for designing the Glasgow School of Art building, winning the commission in 1897[4].What is Charles Rennie Mackintosh's most famous work?
Charles Rennie Mackintosh, born in Glasgow in 1868[4], is most well-known for his architectural designs, especially the Glasgow School of Art. He trained as an architect and attended evening art classes at the Glasgow School of Art. Mackintosh joined the firm Honeyman & Keppie in 1889[4]. Later, he formed "The Four" with his wife Margaret MacDonald, her sister Frances, and Herbert McNair. The group participated in international exhibitions, developing what became known as the "Glasgow" style. Mackintosh's designs inspired the Viennese Art Nouveau movement, the Secession. His first architectural work was the corner tower of the Glasgow Herald building in 1894. In 1897, he began working on the Glasgow School of Art, completing it in two phases (1899 and 1909). Mackintosh asserted his style in the architecture of the school, unifying the exterior, interior, and furnishings. He used natural and artificial light and designed furniture, often decorated with a stylised flower known as the Glasgow Rose. Mackintosh designed public buildings, private villas, and tea rooms. He also created furniture, textiles, and ironwork. His formal, rectilinear style combined with his wife's undulating floral forms. Mackintosh died in 1928[4]; the Glasgow School of Art building is now called the Mackintosh Building.What should I know about Charles Rennie Mackintosh's prints?
Charles Rennie Mackintosh was a versatile designer; his artistic output included architecture, furniture, and graphic work. Although not as widely known as his other designs, prints were a part of his wider artistic practice. When considering prints, it is important to understand editioning. An edition is a set of identical prints made from the same block or blocks. Editions can be open (unlimited) or limited, depending on the artist's choice. The number of prints is not usually dictated by the block's physical limitations; a block can produce many prints if cared for properly. The artist decides to limit an edition, not the medium. Each print in a limited edition is considered an original. The Professional Art Dealers Association of Canada defines an original print as an image conceived and executed solely as a print, usually in a numbered edition and signed by the artist. Each print is individually inked and pulled, making it a "multi-original". The artist determines the number of prints in the edition, and sequential numbering accounts for the prints; for example, 12/25 indicates the 12th print in an edition of 25.What style or movement did Charles Rennie Mackintosh belong to?
Charles Rennie Mackintosh (born in Glasgow, 1868[4]; died in London, 1928[4]) was a Scottish architect and designer. He is associated with both the Arts and Crafts[4] movement and Art Nouveau. The Arts and Crafts movement developed in Britain, inspired by William Morris; it promoted the idea that art and craft could improve people's lives. Many Arts and Crafts societies adopted this ideal. Mackintosh designed several tearooms in Glasgow, including the Ladies Luncheon Room in the Ingram Street Tea Room. His designs included chairs and stained-glass windows. Art Nouveau grew out of the Arts and Crafts movement. It was an international style, known as Jugendstil in Austria and Germany, Modernismo in Spain, and Floreale in Italy. Mackintosh met Margaret and Frances MacDonald, and Herbert McNair during his studies. With them, he formed a group called "The Four". Mackintosh's work with The Four, which showed influences of European Art Nouveau, Japanese art, Symbolism, and neo-Gothic styles, led to the development of the "Glasgow" style.What techniques or materials did Charles Rennie Mackintosh use?
Charles Rennie Mackintosh worked across several media, including watercolour, furniture design, and architecture. He is associated with the Glasgow School style, also called "Spook School" because of its attenuated, ghostly figures. Mackintosh often used a limited palette of colours, especially rose, purple, and white. He incorporated symbolic elements, such as the Glasgow rose motif, into his designs. Mackintosh favoured clean lines and geometric forms. His architectural projects include the Glasgow School of Art (1897[4]-1909[4]), which combines Arts and Crafts[4] principles with Art Nouveau aesthetics. Mackintosh designed every aspect of the building, from the structure itself to the interior fittings and furniture. The library, with its distinctive lighting and shelving, is a particularly famous space. For furniture, Mackintosh often employed ebonised wood and contrasting inlays. His chairs, such as the Argyle Chair, are characterised by their high backs and elongated forms. He collaborated with his wife, Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh, on many projects. She contributed textile panels and gesso work to their interiors.What was Charles Rennie Mackintosh known for?
Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868[4]-1928[4]) was a Scottish designer, architect, and artist, born in Glasgow. He is recognised for his contribution to the Art Nouveau movement, particularly his distinctive "Glasgow" style, developed with the group "The Four". This group included his future wife, Margaret MacDonald, her sister Frances, and Herbert McNair. Mackintosh trained as an architect, attending evening art classes at the Glasgow School of Art. He won prizes for his drawing, painting, and architecture. His architectural designs moved away from academic tradition, favouring modern forms. Mackintosh designed buildings, including the Glasgow School of Art, and created designs for furniture, lights, and posters. Visitors to tea rooms could sit on Mackintosh chairs and eat with Mackintosh cutlery. His furniture designs often featured slim, tall forms inspired by nature. Mackintosh's style is characterised by a contrast between rectilinear forms and floral decoration. Although he achieved some success in the United Kingdom, Mackintosh found less recognition elsewhere during his lifetime. Later in life, he turned to painting, studying flowers with his wife. After his death, his work gained popularity, and the Glasgow School of Art was renamed the Mackintosh Building.When did Charles Rennie Mackintosh live and work?
Charles Rennie Mackintosh was born in Glasgow on 7 June 1868[4]. He died in London on 10 December 1928[4]. Mackintosh began his architectural training in 1884[4] as an apprentice to John Hutchison, while also attending evening classes at the Glasgow School of Art. By 1890, he was working as a draughtsman for architectural firm Honeyman and Keppie. He gained further recognition when he won the Alexander Thomson Travelling Studentship in 1890, allowing him to travel and study architecture in Italy. Throughout the 1890s, Mackintosh became increasingly involved in the Glasgow Style, an offshoot of Art Nouveau. He collaborated with other artists, including his future wife Margaret Macdonald, on various decorative projects. His architectural designs, such as the Glasgow School of Art (designed 1897, built in two phases, 1897-1909[4]), began to gain attention both in Britain and on the European continent. He exhibited in the Vienna Secession exhibition of 1900. After 1914, he moved away from architecture and focused on watercolour painting, particularly of flowers and abstracted forms. He spent his final years in France before returning to London, where he died.Where can I see Charles Rennie Mackintosh's work?
To see works by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, a good place to start is Glasgow, where he spent much of his career. The Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery[1] in Glasgow has holdings of his work, along with that of other Scottish Arts and Crafts[4] designers. The Burrell Collection, located in Pollok Country Park in Glasgow, also contains items of interest. Elsewhere in the UK, the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, the Geffrye Museum in London, the Manchester Art Gallery, the National Museums of Scotland (Royal Museum) in Edinburgh, and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London all hold relevant pieces. Outside the UK, several museums have collections that include Mackintosh. These are the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art (Winter Park, Florida), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art[3] (New York), the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto), the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond), and the Wolfsonian at Florida International University (Miami Beach).
Sources
Editorial draws on the following primary and tertiary references for Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
- [1] museum Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery Used for: museum holdings.
- [2] museum Aberdeen Archives, Gallery and Museums collections Used for: museum holdings.
- [3] museum Metropolitan Museum of Art Used for: museum holdings.
- [4] wikipedia Wikipedia: Charles Rennie Mackintosh Used for: biography, birth dates, death dates, identifiers, movement attribution, nationality.
- [5] book Dorling Kindersley, Artists: Inspiring Stories of the World's Most Creative Minds Used for: biography.
- [6] book Jean Lahor, Art Nouveau Used for: biography.
Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-07-02. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.
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