MICHAEL LE GRAND
Michael Le Grand has worked in steel since graduating from the Victorian College of the Arts in 1974.
The son of Dutch immigrants to Australia, he was influenced by the creative lives of his parents; Henri Le Grand an accomplished ceramicist and Hendrika "Riek" Le Grand, ceramicist and director of Canberra's first commercial art gallery.
The recipient of an Australia Council Travel Grant in 1975, he furthered his studies at St Martin’s School of Art, London, and on returning to Australia, was awarded an Australian National University Creative Arts Fellowship in 1978.
He was a recipient of the 1997 Capital Arts Patrons' Organisation Fellowship and co-winner of the Inaugural Sydney Water Sculpture Prize, Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi. In the same year he was awarded an ACT Creative Arts Fellowship (for 1998). 2002 he was the J.B. Were invited artist for Sculpture by the Sea and in 2009 a selector/ judge for both Sculpture by the Sea Bondi and Cottesloe.
Michael was significantly involved in the development of the early Canberra Floriade Sculpture events, ANU/CSA Sculpture Walk, Australian National Capital Artists studio spaces and the Canberra National Sculpture Forum.
Michael has travelled widely and has participated in residencies and sculpture symposiums in Canada, USA, Germany and Japan. He has had a number of solo exhibitions both nationally and internationally and participated in many major sculpture exhibitions. These have included: Mildura and Melbourne Sculpture Triennials; Sculpture by the Sea Bondi, Cottesloe, and Aarhus Demark; Sculpture in the City, Sydney; McClelland Sculpture Survey and Award 2003, ‘07, ‘10 , ’12; Mt Buller Sculpture Award; Deakin University Small Sculpture Award 2011, ’12 and ’13; Mini-survey at Sculpture at Barangaroo, Sydney 2017 and Contour 556 Canberra 2016 and ’18. He is represented in private collections and public commissions both in Australia and internationally.
Michael was awarded the inaugural University of Western Sydney Acquisitive Sculpture Prize 2004. He was an invited artist for Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, 2010 and was awarded a Helen Lempriere Scholarship the same year. In 2011 Canberra Museum and Art Gallery exhibited a major Survey of Michael’s sculpture and he was also awarded the Canberra Critics Circle, City News Artist of the Year.
In 1980 Michael began teaching at the Canberra School Of Art. In 2007 he retired an Emeritus Fellow from his position as Head of Sculpture, within the School of Art, Australian National University, to concentrate on his own art practice. Michael continues to exhibit in both solo and major sculpture exhibitions.
michaelmlegrand.com
