Art History Lecture Series | The Hill House: Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald
In The Hill House (1902-04), Glasgow School designers Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald were given free rein to create a Gesamtkustwerk—a total work of art. Together they designed the architecture, furnishings, and textiles to create a thoroughly modern domestic harmony. However, the home’s innovative exterior coating proved flawed over time. This lecture traces the history of the stunning space and wonders—can a daring restoration effort save The Hill House for future generations?
About the Art History Lecture Series
The Frye Art Museum presents a new season of lectures by art historian Rebecca Albiani, exploring masterpieces of world art, and offering pivotal context to deepen understanding of works on view at the Frye.
About the Instructor
Rebecca Albiani has been an arts lecturer at the Frye Art Museum since 1997. A former Graduate Lecturing Fellow at the National Gallery in Washington D.C., and a Fulbright Scholar in Venice, she holds an MA from Stanford University and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley.
Art History Lecture Series | The Hill House: Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald

Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald. Hill House Hall, 1902-1904. Helensburgh, Scotland. Photo: Tony Hisgett, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
June 11, 2026
11:30 am–12:30 pm
704 Terry Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104