Glasgow landmark the Finnieston Crane has been re-framed, with a spectacular new artwork rising above the city to celebrate the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Created by Glasgow artist Emer Tumilty in collaboration with internationally renowned creative studio NEWSUBSTANCE, the commission brings together the city’s industrial and artistic heritage in a single striking image.
Commissioned for the Glasgow 2026 Festival, The Glasgow Rose is inspired by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh’s celebrated roses.
As the games got underway, Glaswegians watched as the Glasgow Rose bloomed on the banks of the River Clyde, offering a first glimpse of one of the largest public artworks ever created for a Commonwealth Games.
Now, as the city looks ahead to the first full week of sport competition, the rose has risen in the sky, taking its place on the crane. Uniting the engineering legacy of the Finnieston Crane with the enduring artistry of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh, the commission creates a powerful new symbol of a city that has never stopped making, creating and welcoming the world.
For generations, the Finnieston Crane has stood as a symbol of the engineering brilliance, shipbuilding and innovation that made Glasgow famous across the world. The Mackintosh rose has become an equally powerful emblem of the city’s creative imagination and influence on global art and design. Now, the two symbols meet.
Suspended from one of Scotland’s most recognisable landmarks, The Glasgow Rose creates a new addition to Glasgow’s skyline and a striking welcome for athletes and visitors arriving for the Commonwealth Games.
Phil Batty, chief executive of Glasgow 2026, said: “This is far more than a spectacular artwork. It is the coming together of two of Glasgow’s greatest icons.
“Together they create a powerful symbol of the Glasgow we are welcoming people to today – creative, confident, bold and proudly looking to the future.
“It feels entirely fitting that this has been created not only in honour of one of Glasgow’s greatest artistic legacies, but by one of Glasgow’s exciting new artistic voices. That’s exactly what these games are about, celebrating where we’ve come from while championing the talent shaping where we’re going.”
Creator Tumilty added: “As someone who came to Glasgow to study at The Glasgow School of Art before making the city my home, this has been an extraordinary commission to create.
“The Mackintosh rose is recognised around the world, and to see it reimagined at this scale, suspended from the Finnieston Crane, has been incredibly special. I hope people see a work that celebrates Glasgow’s creativity, optimism and character, and feel the affection for the city that inspired every part of it.”
Visible across the Clyde throughout the Commonwealth Games, The Glasgow Rose is commissioned as part of Glasgow 2026 Festival, a ten-week celebration of the city’s creativity, culture and communities running alongside the games.
