Professor John Macarthur
Professor

John Macarthur

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+61 7 336 53780

Background

John Macarthur is Professor of architecture at the University of Queensland where he conducts research and teaches in the history and theory of architecture, and in architectural design. John graduated from the University of Queensland with Bachelor (Hons 1st) and Master of Design Studies degrees (1984) before taking a doctorate at the University of Cambridge (1989). He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Humanities and a Fellow of the Queensland Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was the founding Director of the research centre for Architecture, Theory, Criticism and History (ATCH) and remains an active member of the Centre. He has previously served as Dean and Head of the School of Architecture at UQ and as a member of the Australian Research Council’s College of Experts. He is a past President and a Life Member of the Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand.

His research in the intellectual history architecture has focused on the conceptual framework of the interrelation of architecture, aesthetics and the arts. His book The Picturesque: architecture, disgust and other irregularities, was published by Routledge in 2007. John has edited and authored a further tenbooks and published over 150 papers including contributions to the journals Assemblage, Transition, Architecture Research Quarterly, Oase and the Journal of Architecture. John's book Is Architecture Art? an introduction to the aesthetics of architecture, was published in December 2024..

Memberships

Fellow, Australian Academy of Humanities Fellow; Queensland Academy of Arts and Sciences; Life Member, Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand

Availability

Professor John Macarthur is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Architecture Art history, theory and criticism Built Environment and Design Creative Arts and Writing Historical studies History and philosophy of specific fields History, Heritage and Archaeology Philosophy and Religious Studies Urban and regional planning Visual arts

Qualifications

  • Bachelor (Honours), The University of Queensland
  • Masters (Coursework), The University of Queensland
  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Cambridge

Research interests

  • Architecture between art and aesthetics

    I am broadly interested in how architecture has been considered an art, defined by concepts of philosophical aesthetics on the one hand, and the social and professional institutions of the different arts on the other. The often conflicting determinations of art and aesthetics have a rich history going back to the eighteenth century and continue to define the professional and popular views of architecture. I am interested in relatively technical issues such as the concept of disgust in the eighteenth century picturesque and how the picturesque relates to later romanticism; but also in the assumptions of cultural industries policy in relating architecture to the creative and economic capacities of a population. A recent publication that gives and overview of some of these interests is: Macarthur, John, Susan Holden, Ashley Paine, and Wouter Davidts. Pavilion Propositions: Nine Points on an Architectural Phenomenon. Amsterdam: Valiz, 2018. Macarthur, John, Susan Holden, and Ashley Paine. "For What It’s Worth: The Value of Architecture as Heritage and Culture." In Valuing Architecture: Heritage and the Economics of Culture, edited by Ashley Paine, Susan Holden and John Macarthur. Amsterdam: Valiz, 2020. My definitive views on the topic are published as <Is Architecture Art: an introduction to the aesthetics of architecture? London: Bloomsbury, 2024.

  • The Architecture of Queensland

    I am involved with colleagues in the ATCH Centre in the recording and analysing the architecture of the Australian State of Queensland. Parallel studies involve archival research, oral histories, and discourse analysis using computer semantic text analysis tools. Themes of the study include architectural education, public policy, claims to climatic determination, and regional character. Publications include: Macarthur, John, Deborah van der Plaat, Janina Gosseye, and Andrew Wilson, eds. Hot Modernism: Queensland Architecture 1945-1975. London: Artifice, 2015. Plaat, Deborah van der, and John Macarthur, eds. Karl Langer: Modern Architect and Migrant in the Australian Tropics, Bloomsbury Studies in Modern Architecture. London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2022. Macarthur, John, and Deborah van der Plaat. "Wireless Architecture: Robert Cummings Early Radio Broadcasts ". In Architectural Education through Materiality: Pedagogies of 20th-Century Design,, edited by Elke Couchez and Rajesh Heynickx, 221-34. London: Taylor and Francis, 2021.

Search Professor John Macarthur’s works on UQ eSpace

146 works between 1984 and 2024
All (146) Journal Article (48) Book Chapter (56) Conference Publication (23) Book (14) Other Outputs (4) Edited Outputs (1)

121 - 140 of 146 works

2000

Journal Article

The Look of the Object

Macarthur, John (2000). The Look of the Object. Assemblage - A Critical Journal of Architecture and Design Culture, 41 (April), 48-48.

The Look of the Object

2000

Book Chapter

Materials historical and plastic

Macarthur, John (2000). Materials historical and plastic. Imaginary Materials: A Seminar With Michael Carter. (pp. 29-34) edited by J. Macarthur. Brisbane: IMA Publishing.

Materials historical and plastic

2000

Journal Article

Some thoughts on the canon and exemplification in architecture

Macarthur, John (2000). Some thoughts on the canon and exemplification in architecture. Form/Work: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Design and the Built Environment (5), 33-45.

Some thoughts on the canon and exemplification in architecture

2000

Journal Article

Malappropriation of the picturesque

Macarthur, John (2000). Malappropriation of the picturesque. 38 South: The Graduate Journal of Architecture and Design from RMIT (2), 52-59.

Malappropriation of the picturesque

2000

Conference Publication

Brutalism, ugliness and the picturesque object

Macarthur, John (2000). Brutalism, ugliness and the picturesque object. Formulation Fabrication Papers from the Seventeenth Annual Conference of the Society of Architectural Historians Australia and New Zealand,, Wellington, New Zealand, 13 - 17 Nov, 2000. Wellington, New Zealand: SAHANZ.

Brutalism, ugliness and the picturesque object

2000

Book Chapter

From the Air: Collage City, Aerial Photography and the Picturesque

Macarthur, John (2000). From the Air: Collage City, Aerial Photography and the Picturesque. Re-Framing Architecture: Theory, Science and Myth. (pp. 113-120) edited by Michael Ostwald and John Moore. Sydney: Archadia Press.

From the Air: Collage City, Aerial Photography and the Picturesque

2000

Conference Publication

Art and architecture, objects and material

Macarthur, John (2000). Art and architecture, objects and material. Art Association Annual Conference, Brisbane, 7 - 10 Dec, 2000. Brisbane: aaANZ.

Art and architecture, objects and material

2000

Book

Imaginary Materials: A Seminar With Michael Carter

Macarthur, J. P. ed. (2000). Imaginary Materials: A Seminar With Michael Carter. Brisbane: IMA Publishing.

Imaginary Materials: A Seminar With Michael Carter

1999

Journal Article

Colonies at home: Loudon's encyclopaedia, and the architecture of forming the self

Macarthur, John (1999). Colonies at home: Loudon's encyclopaedia, and the architecture of forming the self. Architecture Research Quarterly, 3 (3), 245-257. doi: 10.1017/S1359135500002074

Colonies at home: Loudon's encyclopaedia, and the architecture of forming the self

1999

Book Chapter

Tactile simulations: Architecture and the image of the public at Brisbane's Kodak Beach

Macarthur, John (1999). Tactile simulations: Architecture and the image of the public at Brisbane's Kodak Beach. Imagining Australian Space. (pp. 177-192) edited by R. Barcan and I. Buchanan. Nedlands, WA: Univ. of W A Press.

Tactile simulations: Architecture and the image of the public at Brisbane's Kodak Beach

1999

Conference Publication

Image-building: From the application of images to the imagination of space

Macarthur, John (1999). Image-building: From the application of images to the imagination of space. Thresholds, Launceston/ Hobart, 28 Sept - 1 Oct 1999. Launceston, Tas: SAHANZ.

Image-building: From the application of images to the imagination of space

1999

Book Chapter

Building and landscape as an issue of city scale

Macarthur, John (1999). Building and landscape as an issue of city scale. 1997-1998 CHASA Refereed Design Scheme Catalogue. (pp. 9-15) edited by B. Busfield and P. Richards. Nedlands, WA: Studio Sch. of Architecture, UWA.

Building and landscape as an issue of city scale

1999

Conference Publication

Image building: Space and image as materials in art and architecture

Macarthur, John (1999). Image building: Space and image as materials in art and architecture. Thresholds, Launceston/Hobart, 28 Sept - 1 Oct, 1999. Launceston, Tas: SAHANZ.

Image building: Space and image as materials in art and architecture

1998

Journal Article

Review: Hidden Newcastle by John Moore and Michael Ostwald

Macarthur, John (1998). Review: Hidden Newcastle by John Moore and Michael Ostwald. Australasian Victorian Studies Journal, 4, 164-165.

Review: Hidden Newcastle by John Moore and Michael Ostwald

1997

Book Chapter

Form and Materials: some notes on Birrell's aesthetic

Macarthur, John and Murray, Shane (1997). Form and Materials: some notes on Birrell's aesthetic. BIRRELL: work from the office of James Birrell. (pp. 6-12) Melboure: NMBW.

Form and Materials: some notes on Birrell's aesthetic

1997

Book

Birrell, work from the office of James Birrell

Andrew Wilson and John MacArthur eds. (1997). Birrell, work from the office of James Birrell. Melbourne, Australia: NMBW Publications.

Birrell, work from the office of James Birrell

1997

Journal Article

The Heartlessness of the Picturesque: Sympathy and Disgust in Ruskin's Aesthetics

Macarthur, John (1997). The Heartlessness of the Picturesque: Sympathy and Disgust in Ruskin's Aesthetics. Assemblage, 32 (April), 126-141.

The Heartlessness of the Picturesque: Sympathy and Disgust in Ruskin's Aesthetics

1996

Journal Article

Urbanist rhetoric: Problems and origins in architectural theory

Macarthur, John (1996). Urbanist rhetoric: Problems and origins in architectural theory. Architectural Research Quarterly, 2 (1), 8-13. doi: 10.1017/S1359135500001056

Urbanist rhetoric: Problems and origins in architectural theory

1996

Journal Article

The Butcher's Shop: Disgust in Picturesque Aesthetics and Architecture

Macarthur, John (1996). The Butcher's Shop: Disgust in Picturesque Aesthetics and Architecture. Assemblage, 30, 32-43.

The Butcher's Shop: Disgust in Picturesque Aesthetics and Architecture

1996

Journal Article

Grasping the intangible: some thoughts on a photograph of demolished buildings

Lambie, Lisa and Macarthur, Jhn (1996). Grasping the intangible: some thoughts on a photograph of demolished buildings. Architectural Theory Review, 1 (2), 53-59. doi: 10.1080/13264829609478289

Grasping the intangible: some thoughts on a photograph of demolished buildings

Current funding

  • 2024 - 2025
    Twentieth Century Queensland: A thematic study of heritage places
    Queensland Government Department of Environment, Science and Innovation
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2021 - 2023
    Australian Cultural Data Engine for Research, Industry and Government (ARC LIEF project administered by University of Melbourne)
    University of Melbourne
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2022
    Is architecture art? A history of categories, concepts and recent practices
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2015
    The design and construction of quality, sustainable and affordable pre-made housing in Australia - Optimisation and Integration
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2018
    The design and construction of quality, sustainable and affordable pre-made housing in Australia - Optimisation and Integration (ARC Linkage Project administered by The University of Sydney)
    University of Sydney
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2014
    Intercultural architectural and material culture heritage and conservation in Moreton Bay
    UQ FirstLink Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2014
    Architectural Practice in Postwar Queensland (1945-1975): Building and Interpreting an Oral History Archive.
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2013
    The Cultural Logic of Queensland Architecture: Place, Taste and Economy
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2010 - 2011
    Architectural Education and Practice in Post-war Queensland (1937-1970): Building and Interpreting an oral history archive
    UQ FirstLink Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2010 - 2012
    Writing the Architecture of Queensland: Innovative Approaches to Architectural Critique
    Arts Queensland Funding
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2011
    The Baroque in Architectural Culture, 1880-1980
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2003 - 2005
    The Picturesque in Modernity: object image and architecture
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant

Availability

Professor John Macarthur is:
Available for supervision

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Available projects

  • Architecture and Cultural Policy in Australia

    Architecture is absent from national cultural policy in Australia despite being a significant part of the cultural economy and the way that civic identity is formed. Taste, civic norms and the economy come together in buildings and urban spaces, but there is little understanding about how they interact at personal, community and national levels. Recent econometric accounts of culture include architecture, forcing the issue of its place in cultural policy. This project aims to study architecture as a matter of culture that overcomes the gaps between concepts and administrative categories. Its goal is to inform better policy formation, increased public engagement with architecture, and growth in the creative economy.

    PhD topics within this wider project include: architecture in public interest broadcasting; architecture in school curricula; non-professional architectural and building culture on the WWW; architecture and cultural citizenship; architecture and liberalism.

  • Picturesque Australasia

    The aesthetic concept of the picturesque and, to a greater extent, the cultural practices associated with it were significant in the history of the European settlements in present day Australia and New Zealand. Projects suitable for Phd investigation include: the circulation of books of designs and advice on architecture and gardening; the role of mid 19th century publications on the aesthetic and agricultural potential of the colonies in powering immigration and expanded settlements; and the role of nature aesthetics in town planning.

  • Architecture as an art: aesthetic theory, taste and the institutions of the arts

    Architecture has been considered an art, or not, for different reasons which follow two main branches. The first branch is the consideration of architecture's place among ‘the arts’ understood as an institution of cognate knowledges and practices. The alternative track is to consider architecture through the concept of aesthetics which a human orientation to beauty in all of the material world both natural and artifactual and a faculty anterior to the social institution of art and the arts. PhD projects within this stream might include: the intellectual history of art, architecture and philosophical aesthetics since the 18th century; the place of building and architectural representation in contemporary art practice; and how standards of taste were formed historically and are today.

  • Design Expertise, Design Governance, and the Architecture Profession

    This research explores architecture in built environment governance, and more broadly the role of architecture and design in governing: in fostering civic engagement, demonstrating values, and defining a common good. It investigates the relatively recent establishment of design advisor roles in liberal democratic governments, and how this can be understood as a new site of professional production and an index of a changing profession. It explores the interrelationship between regulation, informal design governance processes, and processes that influence cultural change such as education. It draws on theories of governance and governmentality to understand the reliance of design governance processes on negotiated justifications of design quality and worth.

    Opportunities for PhD topics within this research project will include both empirically and conceptually focused studies:

    • The economy of professional expertise in urban development
    • The role of expertise in aesthetic judgements about the built environment and architecture
    • Post-professionalism and lay-expertise
    • Concepts of quality in regulation and review of design
    • Gender equity in professional participation

  • Architecture and Cultural Policy in Australia

    Architecture is absent from national cultural policy in Australia despite being a significant part of the cultural economy and the way that civic identity is formed. Taste, civic norms and the economy come together in buildings and urban spaces, but there is little understanding about how they interact at personal, community and national levels. Recent econometric accounts of culture include architecture, forcing the issue of its place in cultural policy. This project aims to study architecture as a matter of culture that overcomes the gaps between concepts and administrative categories. Its goal is to inform better policy formation, increased public engagement with architecture, and growth in the creative economy.

    PhD topics within this wider project include: architecture in public interest broadcasting; architecture in school curricula; non-professional architectural and building culture on the WWW; architecture and cultural citizenship; architecture and liberalism.

  • Picturesque Australasia

    The aesthetic concept of the picturesque and, to a greater extent, the cultural practices associated with it were significant in the history of the European settlements in present day Australia and New Zealand. Projects suitable for Phd investigation include: the circulation of books of designs and advice on architecture and gardening; the role of mid 19th century publications on the aesthetic and agricultural potential of the colonies in powering immigration and expanded settlements; and the role of nature aesthetics in town planning.

Supervision history

Current supervision

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Professor John Macarthur directly for media enquiries about:

  • Architectural theory and history
  • Architecture
  • Building design
  • Design - architecture
  • Heritage - assessment and policy
  • History - of architecture
  • Urban design
  • Western Architecture

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