CADmonkey

Lisa. by Seyll Jean-Claude

Naturelle.

The work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) was characterized by the continuous pursuit of a synthesis of art and architecture. Mackintosh, who regarded himself an architect in the first place, where possible treated his projects as total works of art: interior and exterior, furniture, wall hangings and lighting specifically complemented each other and in projects like the Hill House, the School of Art and the different Tea Rooms in Glasgow form a coherent whole.

Even though Mackintosh ultimately built only around a dozen buildings his oeuvre catalogue is rather comprehensive due to the many interiors, furniture and exhibition rooms he designed.

In 1979 Roger Billcliffe released the first edition of a complete catalogue of Mackintosh’s furniture, furniture drawings and interior designs, a reference work that has since been continuously updated. In 2009 the present fourth edition by was published by Cameron & Hollis, significantly updated and now also including illustrations in color. In a working life of only twenty-five years, Mackintosh designed over 300 pieces of furniture, an impressive number given that the majority of them were designed between 1897-1905 and 1916-1918.

Billcliffe’s catalogue raisonné in chronological order and meticulous detail presents each piece of furniture, corresponding drawings and interiors, just like one would expect from a sound work catalogue. Obviously not every illustration is of crystal clear quality since many of them are contemporary and show often lost interiors in their original state.