Art nouveau watches inspired by Charles Rennie MackintoshCharles Rennie Mackintosh, Rennie Mackintosh - architect, designer and art nouveau artist.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh, one of eleven children, was born in the Townhead area of Glasgow on 7 June 1868. He grew up to become one of the most influential architects of his day. He met Margaret Macdonald while they were studying together at Glasgow School of Art and much of his subsequent output arose out of their artistic collaboration. Much of his work has survived and can be seen today alongside that of his close collaborators in the group known as "The Four" and the other artists and designers who collectively created "The Glasgow Style". Charles Rennie Mackintosh trained as an architect and studied art and design at the Glasgow School of Art in the evenings. In 1904, Charles became a partner in Honeyman and Keppie, and over the next nine years worked on various commissions throughout Central Scotland. His work took him to places such as Comrie, Lennoxtown, Bowling, Bridge of Allan, Kilmacolm and Dumgoyne. He worked in Glasgow for 20 years in total where much of his best work still remains. Unsatisfied, he left Glasgow in search of success but died in obscurity in London. During his time Glasgow was the centre of a progressive movement in painting and the decorative arts so it is ironic that he was given so little recognition by his native city.

At art school, Mackintosh and his friend Herbert MacNair met the artist sisters Margaret and Frances Macdonald. These four collaborated on designs for furniture, metalwork and illustration, developing a distinctive imagery of abstracted female figures and lines reminiscent of Aubrey Beardsley. Their style earned them the nickname of the 'Spook School' and their work was treated with suspicion because of its decadent influence of art nouveau.

Most of Mackintosh's work was created during a short period of activity from 1896 to 1910.

·	Francis Newbery helped obtain the commission to design the new Glasgow School of Art.

·	He designed a series of Glasgow tea room interiors for Miss Kate Cranston.

·	William Davidson and Walter Blackie commissioned private houses - Windyhill in Kilmacolm and The Hill House in Helensburgh.

Mackintosh's style was appreciated in Germany and Austria where he got the acclaim that he never received at home.

·	In 1900, Charles and Margaret were acclaimed in Vienna as a result of their contribution to the 8th Vienna Secession.

·	This led to the commission to design the Wamdorfer Music Salon.

·	In 1902, the Mackintosh Room at the Turin Intemational Exhibition was enthusiastically received.

·	He went on to exhibit in Moscow and Berlin.

Despite this foreign success Mackintosh met with much indifference at home and his career in Glasgow declined. Few private clients were sufficiently sympathetic to want his 'total design' of house and interior and he was incapable of compromise.

In 1923, the Mackintoshes left London for the South of France where Mackintosh finally gave up all thought of architecture and devoted himself entirely to painting landscapes. He died in London, of cancer, on 10 December 1928.