Perfect art replica returns to historic tea rooms
A TRUE copy of artwork by Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s wife has returned to the historic Willow Tea Rooms Building in Glasgow, completing a £10m restoration.
A replica of the original Gesso Panel, a sculptural relief created by Mackintosh’s artist wife Margaret Macdonald, has been recreated and returned to its former home.
Celia Sinclair, chairwoman of The Willow Tea Rooms Trust, commissioned a copy to be built by artists Dai and Jenny Vaughan, which was revealed yesterday.
The historic panel was originally the central feature in the Salon de Luxe at the Willow Tea Rooms Building. The original piece was moved to the Kelvingrove Museum while the £10m restoration took place at the building on Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow’s city centre.
Charles and his wife Margaret were at the height of their artistic careers when the Willow Tea Room Building opened in 1903. Artist Ms Vaughan said: “This is one of the most complex items of work Dai and I have ever undertaken.
“Mackintosh believed that the Gesso Panel was the heart and soul of his interiors. I admire Margaret MacDonald as she put so much detail into her work.”
The Willow Tea Rooms Building is recognised as the only surviving tea room designed in its entirety by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. The 200-seat restaurant and tearooms will officially open in September.