Lot Essay
The House of an Art Lover (Das Haus eines Kunstfreundes) 1901.
In December 1900 the publisher Alexander Koch announced in his monthly journal, Zeitschrift fur Innendekoration, a competition for the design of a house for a connoisseur of the arts. Mackintosh probably heard of the competition when he was in Vienna with his wife, Margaret, as guests of the Vienna Secession, for whose Eighth Exhibition the two Scots had designed an entire room based on the latest Tea Room interior commissioned by the Glasgow restaurateur, Catherine Cranston. The Mackintoshes were fêted in Vienna and became close friends of several of the leading Viennese artists and designers and their patrons, notably Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser, Josef Olbrich and Fritz Wärndorfer. The competition would surely have been a topic of conversation within this group, even before its formal announcement, especially as Olbrich was to be one of the judges and was, therefore, placed hors concours. Mackintosh would have realised that the competition gave him an immediate opportunity to capitalise on his new-found foreign fame as, at this time, he had completed very few buildings in Scotland which he could exhibit abroad as evidence of his developing doctrine for a new architecture for the New Century.
The organisers in their brief speculated on the free rein that a wealthy and enlightened client might give an architect "who was contributing energetically to the solution of important questions confronting modern architecture". As with all such competitions the organisers were hoping that architects would respond to this open encouragement by producing designs which would challenge accepted practice and wisdom in the design of modern houses, if not question the whole future of modern architecture. The reports of the judges show that they were disappointed that the challenge was not met in the way they had hoped and the first prize, of 8,000 Marks, was not awarded. The design by M H Ballie Scott, 'Dulce Domum' was awarded the second prize, 1,800 Marks, and three third prizes were awarded to Leopold Bauer and Oskar Marmorek, both of Vienna, and to Paul Zeroch of Coblenz. The judges' disappointment in the general standard of entry is summed up in their remarks on Ballie Scott's drawings: "[He] would have won the first prize if he had not executed the exterior elevations of his house in a spirit opposed to the masterfully handled interiors, and more in a Modern spirit"'. Mackintosh, however, was awarded a special prize, and, had he completed all the required drawings on time, there can be little doubt that he would have received the First Prize
In December 1900 the publisher Alexander Koch announced in his monthly journal, Zeitschrift fur Innendekoration, a competition for the design of a house for a connoisseur of the arts. Mackintosh probably heard of the competition when he was in Vienna with his wife, Margaret, as guests of the Vienna Secession, for whose Eighth Exhibition the two Scots had designed an entire room based on the latest Tea Room interior commissioned by the Glasgow restaurateur, Catherine Cranston. The Mackintoshes were fêted in Vienna and became close friends of several of the leading Viennese artists and designers and their patrons, notably Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser, Josef Olbrich and Fritz Wärndorfer. The competition would surely have been a topic of conversation within this group, even before its formal announcement, especially as Olbrich was to be one of the judges and was, therefore, placed hors concours. Mackintosh would have realised that the competition gave him an immediate opportunity to capitalise on his new-found foreign fame as, at this time, he had completed very few buildings in Scotland which he could exhibit abroad as evidence of his developing doctrine for a new architecture for the New Century.
The organisers in their brief speculated on the free rein that a wealthy and enlightened client might give an architect "who was contributing energetically to the solution of important questions confronting modern architecture". As with all such competitions the organisers were hoping that architects would respond to this open encouragement by producing designs which would challenge accepted practice and wisdom in the design of modern houses, if not question the whole future of modern architecture. The reports of the judges show that they were disappointed that the challenge was not met in the way they had hoped and the first prize, of 8,000 Marks, was not awarded. The design by M H Ballie Scott, 'Dulce Domum' was awarded the second prize, 1,800 Marks, and three third prizes were awarded to Leopold Bauer and Oskar Marmorek, both of Vienna, and to Paul Zeroch of Coblenz. The judges' disappointment in the general standard of entry is summed up in their remarks on Ballie Scott's drawings: "[He] would have won the first prize if he had not executed the exterior elevations of his house in a spirit opposed to the masterfully handled interiors, and more in a Modern spirit"'. Mackintosh, however, was awarded a special prize, and, had he completed all the required drawings on time, there can be little doubt that he would have received the First Prize