Thousands flocking to see Mackintosh venues
MORE than 100,000 fans of Charles Rennie Mackintosh have visited his venues in the last year, new figures reveal.
The number of people who have gone to buildings and collections designed by the Glasgow artist in the last year has soared by 15 per cent, compared to the same period the previous year.
Already in 2017 venues have seen a rise in visit compared to 2016, with fans from the UK and abroad flocking to the Lighthouse, House for an Art Lover and the Glasgow Art School, among others.
It comes ahead of the sixth annual Mackintosh Festival, which will take place in Glasgow in October, as well as Mackintosh’s 150th birthday next year.
Ian Elder, Chairman of Glasgow Mackintosh, welcomed the new figures.
His organisation,which was set up in 1980, is formed of curators and managers of Mackintosh buildings and collections, including the Glasgow Art Club, the Hill House in Helensburgh, The Hunterian Art Gallery, and the original Willow Tearooms, which are currently closed.
Mr Elder said: “Almost half the visitors to The Lighthouse came from outside the UK.
“The Mackintosh legacy enables us to give a set of values to the past in order to build a future.
“The legacy of Mackintosh is his creativity, innovation, art and the fact that he combined all three.
“He reminds us that Glasgow, which is fantastically creative and innovative place, was always that.”
This year’s festival is hoped to attract more than 100,000 people to Glasgow, and will feature exhibitions, concerts, talks and tours.
Workshops will also be organised relating to Mackintosh, celebrating his life and work.,
French artist, Elisabeth Viguie Culshaw – who stencilled House for an Art Lover and worked on The Big Rose Project during last year’s festival – is to return to the festival this year with her Big Banner Project.
The project will see members of the public as well as pupils from local schools attend workshops at various Mackintosh venues.
During their visits, the attendees will help to stencil and paint an Art Nouveau banner which, once completed, will go on show t hroughout t he month of October.
Meanwhile, the Mackintosh Church has launched new walking tours by a Mackintosh Society heritage Officer.
Sven Burghart, originally from Stuttgart, has lived in Glasgow for seven years and is an avid Mackintosh enthusiast and expert who also works at the church.
The weekly walking tours in English or German focus on Mackintosh and his contemporaries, and set off from George Square every Tuesday.
Sven takes a group of art fans through the city centre, explaining the history and buildings linked to the famous Glasgow artist.
The tour focuses mainly on architectural highlights, with an emphasis on the sculptural details across the city.
Those interested in booking the tour must do so in advance, at least 24 hours before the start of each tour.
Running until October, the guided walks cost £12 and last for an hour and a half.