Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) is well known for his architectural design and for being the UK’s main exponent of Art Nouveau. While he is also noted for enhancing those designs with flower motifs, he is perhaps less appreciated for his outright botanical art works. A new exhibition this summer may go some way towards revising this, by hanging a collection of these rarely seen pieces together. From 28 June to 27 September Cabbages in the Orchard exhibition will be running in the Mackintosh Museum at the Glasgow School of Art. The exhibition is more than just a display of Mackintosh’s work, as the artist Graham Fagen also has a look-in, with the architect’s chosen pieces juxtaposed with Fagen’s own recent Mackintosh-inspired offerings. While the full extent of the botanical art works on display is not clear, pieces such as Tree of Influence and Cabbages in the Orchard (first two images shown below) are referenced in the preview. The majority of Mackintosh’s botanical works remain in Glasgow and can be accessed digitally by searching the Mackintosh online catalogue of the Hunterian Art Gallery. Some of the images found here and elsewhere are shown below.
To learn more about Mackintosh’s botanical portfolio and approach to plants you can read an informative article entitled Flowers in Art….and Rennie Mackintosh on Katherine Tyrrell’s Making A Mark art blog.
