Of all Scottish architects, Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) has perhaps the greatest international reputation. Despite most being a century old, his iconic buildings are now more popular than ever. Like Gaudi, his architecture is seen to define a city: Glasgow is Mackintosh-town.

Mackintosh’s architecture is engaging for its originality. Exteriors and interiors captivate by their clean lines, their spaciousness, and their distinctive geometric detailing. Influenced by Arts and Crafts architecture, they pushed forward design, presaging Art Nouveau and Art Deco years before they became dominant styles. However, it should also be noted that Mackintosh played a great deal with traditional Scottish architectural forms: tower houses, plain Presbyterian churches, and even tenements influenced his work.

The RIBA collections cover far more of Mackintosh’s English rather than his Scottish career, dating from his move to London in 1916. Nevertheless, there are some surprising finds, including archives documenting his career, some fine photographs of his buildings, and early reviews of his work.