Art Nouveau & the Glasgow Four
A Study Day at Goddards, Abinger Common, Surrey RH5 6JH
Thursday 12th June 2025, 12.30pm -4.30pm
The Lutyens Trust is again kindly allowing the society to hold a study day at Goddards during their summer week at the house. Sir Edwin Lutyens designed Goddards in 1898-1900 for Sir Frederick Mirrielees as a place where ‘Ladies of Small Means’ might rest and enjoy the courtyard garden planted by Gertrude Jekyll. Goddards was given to the Lutyens Trust in 1991 and has been expertly restored by the Landmark Trust for holiday lettings. The Lutyens Trust archive is held in the Study-Library. The study day will start at Goddards with an opportunity to tour the house and garden. This will be followed by a bring-your-own picnic lunch in the garden followed by the first of two lectures on aspects of ‘New Art’ by Dr Anne Anderson titled. Art Nouveau: New Art for the New Century 1890-1914. In 1900 Art Nouveau was at its apogee; Brussels, Paris, Nancy, Glasgow, Riga, Barcelona, and Vienna were all transformed by the so-called New Art. At one level Art Nouveau was a national response, with cites such as Glasgow, Barcelona and Darmstadt utilising New Art to forge a distinct identity. But Art Nouveau also performed on an international stage, dominating the expositions held in Brussels (1898), Paris (1900), Vienna (1900) and Turin (1902). While the New Art went by various names, Art Nouveau in French speaking areas, Jugendstil in Germany and Scandinavia or sometimes designated Secession or Sezession, to indicate a break with the establishment, its mission remained the same. Art Nouveau sought to address the needs of modern life, to utilise the latest technologies and to create ‘beautiful objects of everyday use’.
After a break for tea and cake this will be followed by a talk on The Glasgow Four. In his lifetime, innovative architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh was lauded throughout Europe. Yet, unlike his contemporary Frank Lloyd Wright, his potential was never fully realised, and Mackintosh ended his days in obscurity. Moreover, the part played by Margaret Macdonald, his wife, and her sister Frances, in creating a unique Glasgow style is only now being fully acknowledged. Herbert MacNair, who married Frances, completed the Glasgow quartet. The Four, as they were known, drew on Japanese prints, the Arts and Crafts ethos, Celtic ornament, and the graphics of Aubrey Beardsley to create a unique variant of the New Art. Exhibiting in Vienna (1900) and Turin (1902), their designs shaped the evolution of European modernism. A prophet unsung in his own land, Mackintosh’s few completed commissions are treasured (Hill House, Helensburgh; Willow Tea Rooms, Glasgow; 78, Derngate, Northampton), while Glasgow mourns the loss of Mackintosh’s iconic School of Art.
Dr Anne Anderson FSA was a senior lecturer in Art and Design History at Southampton Solent University for 14 years. She has curated four national exhibitions, written seven books covering topics as diverse as Art Deco Teapots to Art Nouveau Architecture and over a hundred academic papers. Currently a guide and lecturer, Anne specialises in Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts art tours.
Tickets: ACMS members £26. Non-members £28. Including a welcome drink, tea and cake. Closing date: 8th June 2025
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Or apply for tickets to: Email: chairman@artsandcraftsmovementinsurrey.org.uk