Lectures

The lecture concentrates on the height of Scandinavian Modern design in the 1950s, when it took America and Europe by storm.  But lurking in the shadows was a Nordic project to change consumer taste and shape the model citizen using scientific experimentation and social engineering.  The talk traces the functionalist and ideological roots of Scandinavian Modern in the 1920s and 1930s and discusses how it became a key tool of the Nordic social democratic project until well into the 1960s. It explains how Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway broke away from Bauhaus and International Style to create softer, more organic furniture and graceful ceramics, glassware and textiles. But, using IKEA catalogues from the period, it also shows how consumers were resistant to state-sanctioned clean lines. 

Featuring designers such as Bruno Mathsson, Josef Frank, Astrid Sampe, Finn Juhl, Arne Jacobsen, Hans Wegner, Tapio Wirkkala and Alvar Aalto, the talk explores just how ‘democratic’ Scandinavian design really was and asks whether our conception of it is based on a marketing myth, concealing hidden treasures and regional variations. Using two ground-breaking 1950s exhibitions (Design in Scandinavia, USA and H55, Helsingborg) the presentation also considers how conceptions of Scandinavian Modern were completely different in the United States and the domestic Nordic region. Finally, it asks why these designs came back into fashion and are so highly sought-after today.

James Vaux is a researcher and lecturer on Nordic arts, culture, design and history. He has presented extensively on diverse topics throughout his career to demanding audiences across the globe, including CEOs and government ministers. His talks now focus on understanding artistic achievements through their historic, cultural and political context.  He was a solicitor before becoming head of Rothschild, and setting up their Nordic operations. Subsequently he has studied designs, music and literature mostly relating to Scaninavia and Iceland.

Scottish architect, designer and artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh is now a well-known name and a major draw for the tourist industry in Glasgow, with several of his buildings still existing, as well as his designs for Tea Rooms.  However, his work was not always so well received and, following some early success, which included his architectural masterpiece, the Glasgow School of Art, his prospects floundered.  His work was increasingly unfashionable as Glasgow turned to Neoclassicism and he found himself struggling to secure commissions.  In this lecture we track him from that early success in his native Glasgow, through the years of doubt and struggle, ultimately to the South of France where he enjoyed the last few years of his life travelling with his wife and collaborator, Margaret, and reinvented himself as a water colour painter.  With a wonderful array of beautifully designed buildings, furniture and interiors to enjoy along the way, we explore how such early promise turne to disappointment and Mackintosh became the archetypal misunderstood artist.

Rosalind is an experienced guide for Tate Britain, Tate Modern, the Royal Academy and Greenwich. She lectures at the Tate, to independent arts societies and on cruises, and leads art appreciation holidays.