The auction was almost over and an unbearable tension was building up in the quiet room. The next piece under the hammer was a simple wooden desk made by a Scottish designer sometime at the beginning of the 20th century. It was a sought-after item and the bidding price was expected to be high. At the end of the auction, the beautiful desk by Charles Rennie Mackintosh had fetched the highest price ever paid at auction for a single item of 20th-century furniture. Mackintosh's career had ended in failure back in the 1920s when some of his furniture had been sold for as little as #1. Now it was a very different story. When Mackintosh died in 1928, his furniture, drawings and designs were almost worthless. Eighty years after his death, his unique artistic style can be seen on everything from greeting cards to wrist watches. Mackintosh, artist, architect and interior designer was born in Glasgow in 1868. At school, he struggled with academic lessons but he showed definite talent for drawing which his teachers did their best to encourage. At the age of 16, Mackintosh began to work in the offices of a well-known Glasgow architect. In his spare time, he studied design and architecture at the Glasgow School of Art and worked on many important commissions with his employers. When he was 20, Mackintosh won a major prize for one of his own house designs and this encouraged him to go and work for Honeyman and Keppie, one of Glasgow's largest architect firms. As a junior architect, Mackintosh worked on new projects and building conversions. He began to design furniture and to draw posters which brought him more acclaim in Glasgow. He was commissioned by a local tea merchant to design the furniture and decoration of a town centre cafe and in 1896 he was given the task of designing Glasgow's new School of Art. Mackintosh's masterpiece brought him recognition from all over Glasgow and soon other commissions were coming his way. He designed buildings, rooms and furniture for a vast number of clients who recognised his professionalism and unique talent. He showed examples of his work at exhibitions in Glasgow and in Europe and began working on independent projects. Mackintosh's work was suddenly much sought after and for the next decade he was on the crest of a wave. He became a full partner in Honeyman and Keppie and his growing personal reputation was the biggest thing in Scottish architecture and design. But just as Mackintosh's talent was peaking, his career began to falter. The amount of jobs coming through the doors of Honeyman, Keppie and Mackintosh dramatically dropped and Mackintosh set up his own design firm. But this was not a success and in 1915 Mackintosh moved to London to get his career back on track. But few people had heard of him in London and he struggled to make a living. In 1928, Mackintosh was diagnosed as suffering from cancer of the mouth and tongue and he died in December. The contents of his house and studio were sold for GBP80. Mackintosh's work is now commanding through-the-roof prices at auctions and in salesrooms all over the world. He died almost forgotten, but he is now recognised as an artist who revolutionised 20th century architecture and interior design. Select the correct word to complete each sentence about Charles Rennie Mackintosh. There are more words in the list than are needed. Reassessed/ Scottish/ paintings/ diagnosed/ partnership/ worthless/ international/ repute/ furniture/ salesroom/ talent/ apprenticed 1. Charles Rennie Mackintosh was a __________ architect and interior designer. 2. When he died, his designs were considered __________. 3. At school, he showed a __________ for drawing. 4. When he was 16, he was __________ to an architect in Glasgow. 5. Mackintosh is famous for designing buildings and __________. 6. His designs were shown at many __________ exhibitions. 7. In 1928, he was __________ as suffering from cancer. 8. Since his death, his work has been __________. Answers: 1. Scottish; 2. worthless; 3. talent; 4. apprenticed; 5. furniture; 6. international; 7. diagnosed; 8. reassessed