Alexander S. MacLean (born 1947) is an American photographic artist who is best known for his

aerial photographs Aerial photography (or airborne imagery) is the taking of photographs from an aircraft or other airborne platforms. When taking motion pictures, it is also known as aerial videography. Platforms for aerial photography include fixed-wing airc ...

. His photographs have portrayed the history and evolution of the land from vast agricultural patterns to city grids, recording changes brought about by human intervention and natural processes. MacLean graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

in 1969 with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree and earned a

Master of Architecture The Master of Architecture (M.Arch. or MArch) is a graduate professional degree in architecture qualifying the graduate to move through the various stages of professional accreditation (internship, exams) that result in receiving a license. Ove ...

degree from

Harvard Graduate School of Design The Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) is the graduate school of design at Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It offers master's and doctoral programs in architecture, landscape architecture, urba ...

in 1973. He became interested in aerial scenery while he studied

community planning Urban planning (also called city planning in some contexts) is the process of developing and designing land use and the built environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportatio ...

and by 1975, MacLean received his commercial pilot license. Soon after, he established Landslides Aerial Photography to provide illustrative aerial photography for architects, landscape designers, urban planners, and environmentalists. He is the author of ten books and has won many awards, including the 2009 Corine International Book Prize, the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

’ award for Excellence in International Architecture Book Publishing, and the

American Academy of Rome American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

’s Prix de Rome in Landscape Architecture for 2003–2004. His photographs have been exhibited in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia and are found in private, public and university collections. MacLean flies a highly fuel-efficient

carbon-fiber Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...

airplane out of

Bedford, Massachusetts Bedford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population of Bedford was 14,161 at th2022 United States census History ''The following compilation comes from Ellen Abrams (1999) based on information from Abram Engl ...

. He currently maintains a studio and lives in

Lincoln, Massachusetts Lincoln is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 7,014 according to the 2020 United States census, including residents of Hanscom Air Force Base who live within town limits. The town, located in the MetroWe ...

Published books

* ''Up on the Roof: New York’s Hidden Skyline Spaces'' (2012) * ''Chroniques Aeriennes: L’Art d’Alex MacLean'' (2010) * ''Las Vegas , Venice'' (2010) * ''OVER: The American Landscape at the Tipping Point'' (2008) * ''The Playbook'' (2006) * ''Taking Measures Across the American Landscape'' with James Corner (1996)

References

Maubrie, G.
Alex Maclean
Artnews.org, accessed 22.10.2012.

External links

Alex MacLean's homepage

Alex MacLean collection of the Chicago contemporary art museum
1947 births Living people Harvard College alumni American architects American aerial photographers Harvard Graduate School of Design alumni {{US-photographer-stub