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25/11/2005

Charles Rennie Mackintosh

National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh

Landscape Watercolours

Known worldwide for his revolutionary architecture, furniture and interiors, Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) was also an extremely gifted painter. A major winter exhibition opening at the Dean Gallery in Edinburgh this November, will be the first solely devoted to the paintings that he did in France between 1923 and 1927. It will bring together almost all of the watercolours and sketches that Mackintosh made there: works depicting mountain landscapes, farm buildings, hill towns, ports and local flora. The letters which Mackintosh wrote to his wife Margaret will also be included. Seldom exhibited, these letters offer a unique insight into the mind of one of Scotland's most celebrated artists and architects.

Towards the end of his life Mackintosh gave up his principal career as an architect and moved to the south of France where he devoted himself to painting in watercolour. Often regarded as his twilight years, his time painting in France can now be considered a late flowering. This final artistic flourish reveals the many influences Mackintosh he had absorbed during his time in London, where he mixed with renowned figures in the art world such as J.D. Fergusson, Jacob Epstein and Wyndham Lewis. The exhibition will begin with a group of works showing the development of Mackintosh's landscape painting, from his student days onwards. Mackintosh is known to have completed only forty-four paintings while in France (the location of forty is known; four are unlocated) and the majority of these will be loaned to the exhibition from the Hunterian Art Gallery in Glasgow and from collections around the world.

The French Pyre'ne'es and the Roussillon coast were not fashionable destinations in the early 1920s. Nonetheless, a small body of enthusiastic writings by Robert Louis Stevenson, Hillaire Belloc and others, many of them illustrated, extolled the virtues of the region for climbing and walking, and praised the unspoilt nature and local architecture. After an unsuccessful period in London, the Mackintoshes let their studio, packed a few belongings, and set off, in 1923, for the south of France. On arrival they opted to stay in smaller, more secluded spots. Cost, and the wish for tranquillity after the big urban centres of Glasgow and London, would almost certainly have been deciding factors. Most of Mackintosh's painting was centred round the sleepy fishing ports of Collioure and Port Vendres, the valley towns of Ille-sur-Tet, Palalda and Bouleterne're, and the mountain villages of Fetges and La Llagonne. Many of the landscapes Mackintosh painted remain virtually unchanged today. (Contemporary photographs of these scenes are available from the National Galleries' Press Office).

Most of what is known about Mackintosh's time in France comes from the letters he wrote to Margaret while she was undergoing medical treatment back in London. Left alone in France, and only able to speak a little French, Mackintosh wrote daily to Margaret. It is one of the few times in his career when he wrote anything down. These important letters are a rare and valued record of what and where he painted, as well as a chronicle of his relationship with Margaret in the last years of his life. They document the first indication of the terminal cancer which was to force the couple back to London at the end of 1927, where Mackintosh died in the December of the following year.

Richard Calvocoressi, Director of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, said: "We are very pleased that, through the generosity of lenders and in particular the Hunterian Art Gallery, we have been able to bring together virtually all the paintings Mackintosh made in France towards the end of this life. These are ravishing pictures and this is the first time that so many of them have been shown. I am confident the exhibition will be a great success."

Mungo Campbell, Deputy Director of the Hunterian Art Gallery, added: "The Hunterian has been delighted to work with the National Galleries of Scotland in the development of this exciting exhibition. We are thrilled that new audiences will be able to discover the Hunterian's matchless Mackintosh holdings and enjoy the fruits of the University of Glasgow's longstanding commitment to research and interpretation of his life and work. This partnership is a welcome opportunity for two of Scotland's greatest collections to share their resources for the benefit of all."

Gillian Henshaw, Marketing Manager for Deloitte in Scotland said: "We are absolutely delighted to be sponsoring such an important exhibition of Charles Rennie Mackintosh's work. In fact, like Mackintosh, Deloitte's roots lie in the heart of Scotland. We are particularly pleased to be able to share this magnificent exhibition with our clients, our employees and with the general public and hope that as many people as possible will take the opportunity to visit the exhibition and enjoy the works on display."

A fully illustrated catalogue accompanies the exhibition, price: £12.95

For further information: National Galleries of Scotland's Press Office on 0131 624 6332/325/314.

Image: Polyanthus, Watercolour Walberswick 1915

Opening: November 26

Dean Gallery
73 Belford Road - Edinburgh

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