The History of House for an Art Lover

THE COMPETITION

"...it exhibits an absolutely original character, unlike anything else known..." Hermann Muthesius, Critic 1901

In 1901, Glasgow’s most famous architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh entered a competition to design a ‘House for an Art Lover’. The competition was set by a German design magazine which sought entries to design ‘a grand house in a thoroughly modern style’, and challenged architects to develop ideas which were fresh and innovative. Mackintosh worked on his submission together with his new wife, Margaret Macdonald, a decorative artist. The result was a portfolio of outstanding designs,which have since been admired by Mackintosh enthusiasts throughout the world.

Whilst the Mackintoshs’ entry was disqualified from the competition on the grounds of late submission, the designs were awarded a special prize for “their pronounced personal quality, their novel and austere form and the uniform configuration of interior and exterior.” 

For the first time, Mackintosh and Macdonald were allowed complete freedom of artistic expression, their designs not conforming to client specification and demand.

Hermann Muthesius, architect and critic, writing in the preface to the later published porfolio of competition designs, praised the design of the House: 'it exhibits an absolutely original character, unlike anything else known.'

It is tempting to speculate whether, had Mackintosh submitted his entries to deadline, he would have won this competition.

CREATING THE HOUSE

Charles Rennie Mackintosh's competition entry has been admired by scholars and Mackintosh enthusiasts alike over the last century.  The spirit and tenacity of consulting engineer, Graham Roxburgh, led to the idea of building the House in the late eighties.  Over one hundred years after the designs were first created, the House now stands completed in Bellahouston Park.

Roxburgh was responsible for the refurbishment of adjacent Craigie Hall which contains original Mackintosh interiors.  His dream to build the House for an Art Lover became a reality in 1989 when building work began.  However, recession in the early Nineties forced the project to be temporarily halted.  Building work resumed in 1994, revived by a collaboration between Glasgow City Council and the Glasgow School of Art.  It is a fitting tribute that one of Mackintosh's most impressive and respected commissions, the Glasgow School of Art, is linked to the House for an Art Lover, with its pioneering postgraduate Digital Design Studio, gaining the House a reputation as an international centre of excellence for the visual arts.

Situated within the beautiful landscape of Bellahouston Park, House for an Art Lover today represents one of Glasgow's most popular visitor attractions and provides spectacularly unique private dining facilities.

THE EXHIBITION

Making Mackintosh's concept a reality has provided a challenge and learning process for the many contemporary artists and crafts people who have contributed to the project.  As a result, House for an Art Lover represents a unique amalgamation of historic and contemporary craft and design work.

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