Marion Mahony Griffin
American, 1871–1961
Walter Burley Griffin
American, 1876–1937
Canberra City Plan, Canberra, Australia, Sectional View
INV-1430
Marion Mahony Griffin
American, 1871–1961
Walter Burley Griffin
American, 1876–1937c. 1911–1912
Canberra City Plan, Canberra, Australia, Sectional View
Marion Mahony Griffin American, 1871–1961 Walter Burley Griffin American, 1876–1937 →presentation drawingarchitectural drawing
Date
c. 1911–1912
Medium
Ink on linen
Dimensions
Approx.: 48 × 162.5 cm (18 15/16 × 63 15/16 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Marion Mahony Griffin through Eric Nicholls, 1949
In 1912 Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin won one of the largest international competitions in modern history to design a new capital city for Australia at Canberra. Their entry intertwined the natural features of the site—three mountains and a river turned into a man-made lake—and axial Beaux-Arts–inspired plans. As seen here, the design was intended to avoid the indifferent sprawl of the gridded industrial city for one anchored by views of landmarks and future monuments, while celebrating the democratic character of the new capital. As a new urban space created out of nothing, Walter Burley believed that their design was a model for the city and country of the future.
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