The Mack never just belonged to Glasgow.
International news outlets were quick to report the blaze which ripped through the school of art this weekend.
But they did not just do so because of the sheer drama of pictures from Scotland.
This fire was attacking a globally important building at a world-renowned institution.
Papers and TV and radio stations had no difficulty finding great artists – some educated at the school – to ram home just what a big deal this was.
The New York Times called the Mack a “gem of world architecture” in a feature detailing the sense of loss felt by Scottish artists.
“Everyone says it was an eccentric building, but my memory is it was deeply romantic,” former student Nathan Coley told the paper. “In cold, northern, industrial Glasgow, it’s very unusual for anyone to be deeply romantic, let alone a building.”
The status of Glasgow School of Art helped make headlines. “In Scotland, a fire devastates the world’s most famous art school,” said Turin’s La Stampa.
Le Parisien and Liberation called the school “prestigious”. France-Ouest said it was “famous” and Le Figaro added that it “was one of the best in the world”. Its building, the French press agreed, was beautiful and iconic. Corriere della Sera in Milan said the Mack was an Art Nouveau masterpiece. The Washington Post said the structure was “beloved”.
Mexico’s Vanguardia reported in detail on the fire, referring to Charles Rennie Mackintosh as an important Modernist and describing his building as a lure for thousands of tourists.
The Globo TV station in Sao Paolo, Brazil, called Mackintosh one of the planet’s most important Art Nouveau architects. It said: “A fire has destroyed the prestigious Glasgow School of Art in Scotland, a historic building considered to be Mackintosh’s masterpiece”. Globo, like other outlets, appears to have latched on to the story partly because the Mack was recovering from its first blaze four years ago.
The New York Times did more than most to explain just how crucial The Mack was to a city which churns out Turner Prize-winning artists.
“It is clear that the fire’s impact on Glasgow’s cultural scene will take years to play out,” the paper said. It quoted former student Mr Coley as saying: “Glasgow has this image of being successful and culturally dynamic, but it’s very fragile.” Glasgow, he said, had “just lost its beating heart”.
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