Alasdair McGregor Alasdair McGregor i(A85363 works by)
Born: Established: 1954 ;
Gender: Male
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BiographyHistory

Alasdair McGregor studied architecture at the University of New South Wales, gaining an honours degree in 1979. In 1983 he co-organised an expedition to Heard Island and subsequently visited the subantarctic islands and the Antarctic continent several times. He also travelled extensively in the Pacific and Australia. Between 1996 and 2001, he was artist and photographer for the AAP Mawson's Huts Foundation. Since 2001 McGregor has curated and held numerous exhibitions of photography and paintings.

Most Referenced Works

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon Grand Obsessions : The Life and Work of Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin Camberwell : Lantern , 2009 Z1628869 2009 single work biography

'On 23 May 1912, American Walter Burley Griffin was announced to the world as the winner of the international design competition for the new Australian capital to be built on a sheep paddock they called Canberra. Almost a century later, Griffin's design - but most of all its implementation - is still hotly debated. Who was this man and what was his vision? How did he come to Canberra, what happened once the Australian establishment tore him to shreds, and what was the role of his wife, helpmate, fellow architect and equal creative partner, Marion Mahony Griffin?

'In this definitive new biography of Griffin husband and wife, Alasdair McGregor delineates the role each played in the production of their greatest works - Canberra, Castlecrag, Newman College and the rest - and charts their lives, from their childhoods and meeting in Chicago in the employ of the larger than life Frank Lloyd Wright, to their battles in Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney, and their swansong in India.

'This is a tale of many parts. It traces the lives of two individuals of great talent and vision and their fight against mediocrity. It is the story of the birth of Canberra, one that tells us as much about the Griffins as it does about ourselves and the troubled birth of the Australian national identity. It is a portrait of a pioneering woman who achieved extraordinary things but was rarely credited with that achievement. And it is an examination of the nature of fame in a young country uncertain of its position in the world.

'The Griffins' story resonates through the years, and their fight to see their idealistic vision realised is one that goes on in Australia today.' (From the publisher's website.)

2011 winner National Biography Award
2009 shortlisted Western Australian Premier's Book Awards Non-Fiction
2010 shortlisted Queensland Premier's Literary Awards Best Non-Fiction Book
2009 winner The Fellowship of Australian Writers Victoria Inc. National Literary Awards Barbara Ramsden Award Jointly awarded to the author Alasdair McGregor and the publisher's editor Nicola Young.
Last amended 29 Jan 2015 16:02:14
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