THE FIRST GALLERY TOURING EXHIBITIONS

1 Burnham Chase, Southampton SO18 5DG Tel 023 80 462723
Member of TEG Director Hilda Margery Clarke BA (Hons), FRSA

Architect at Leisure

Watercolours & Drawings by

ARTHUR MATTINSON (1853 - 1932)

Arthur Mattinson - Self-Portrait

The name of Arthur Mattinson is scarcely known. He was a professional architect and accomplished watercolourist. Standards of excellence ran through everything he did: witness the considerable body of watercolours which forms most of this exhibition. Subjects include mountain landscapes, dramatic skyscapes and the sea, for which he had a particular affinity. Spanning most of his adult life, they reveal an inquiring young architect maturing into an assured disciple of the great masters of the English Water-colour School.

Mattinson's long life was marked by quiet achievement and respect. As architect to the reputable Manchester firm of Maxwell & Tuke, he worked on designs of some outstanding civic buildings, in the forefront of architectural thought of the period: Southport Winter Gardens (based on Crystal Palace), New Brighton Tower (both now demolished), many other structures public and private, most famously the Blackpool Tower. Although blatantly commercial, at its inception some of the interior decoration was tasteful incorporating avant garde influences, e.g. PreRaphaelite heads on the tile decoration in the ballroom. The Tower is still standing in spite of the threat from high winds, which involved some sophisticated assessments from its designer.

There are supplementary photographs and examples of the architectural material which was an important part of Mattinson's life, including enlarged facsimile of plans and details of construction of Blackpool Tower, but primarily the exhibition is of the watercolours, allowing a first insight into his personal works, made with no eye towards public exposure: the "visual diary" of a very private Victorian.

Content:	100 watercolours & drawings, topographical & architectural framed with UV-reducing glass supplementary original photographs & artefacts
Space:	250 running feet approx.
Hire Fee:	£450 for four weeks (extra weeks £100 each)
Insurance Value:	£50,000.
Insurance:	hirer responsible for All Risks "nail to nail" cover
Transport:	hirer responsible for transport, (one-way if consecutive dates)
Availability:	July 2000 on
Publicity:	A5 Leaflets (100 free) A3 Posters (50 free)
SOR:	Catalogues (rrp £4.50) 5 free

Some of the works are for sale

The catalogue and accompanying information are designed to point to a number of associations linked to the exhibition which can be developed as a starting point for educational activity, e.g. History: Victorian Era; Architecture: Seaside Buildings (Blackpool Tower material, Influence of Crystal Palace & Eiffel Tower), Castles; Iron Masters; Transport: Railways, Canals; Art: School of British Watercolourists, Pre-Raphaelites; British Topography.

Old Lead-Pencil Mill on River Greta, Keswick 1909

Contact: Margery Clarke 023 80 462723

Back to First Gallery Home Page