IRN(55008549)

A book that documents the life and work of this major figure in Anglo-Australian design history. Born in Cumbria in 1898 Michael O'Connell saw action on the Western Front in WWI before moving to Australia in 1920. Over the following 17 years he became a critical member of the burgeoning Modernist movement in Melbourne primarily through his innovative and dynamic textiles. First exhibited in 1930 his hand blockprinted fabrics revolutionised Australian textile design, which at the time was an entirely amateur affair, and laid the foundations of its future development.