Friends excursion: Rennie Mackintosh at Glebe Place, Chelsea
Wednesday 23 May 2018 11am - 12.15pm
Glebe Place, Chelsea. Full directions with ticket.
£25
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Join us for a very exclusive visit to the only building in London designed by the Scottish architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his wife, the Scottish artist Margaret MacDonald Mackintosh, moved to Chelsea in 1915 and soon became part of the bohemian set of artists living in the area. The house we'll visit was originally designed by Mackintosh in 1920 for the painter Harold Squire and was briefly the home of Augustus John RA from November 1935 for an unknown period. During our visit we see the original plans for the house and studio, and learn the intriguing story behind the multiple redesigns Mackintosh went through before completing the building.
From 1948-1966 the house was the home of artist Edward le Bas RA, whose nephew, Richard Burrows, the current owner, generously hosts our visit today. During his lifetime, Le Bas collected around 350 paintings, of which 332 were shown in A Painter’s Collection in 1963 at the RA. The collection included works by Picasso, Delacroix and Bloomsbury Group painters. An eclectic mix of paintings and sculptures remains from Le Bas’s collection at the house in Glebe Place for us to see today. It includes sketches by Augustus John RA and Sir John Everett Millais PRA, seascapes, and charming portraits, a highlight of which is a study of Vanessa Bell, painted by Duncan Grant.
This event will also be held on the same day from 2-3.15pm.