Moira Macgregor

Artist and designer Moira Macgregor (1931–2016) was born in Dundee and studied Drawing & Painting at Dundee College of Art (now Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design).
After working for C&A in the Netherlands, Macgregor moved to London to work as fashion illustrator with Helen Jardine Artists agency. She made friends with her colleague Barbara Hulanicki who would go on to found Biba in 1963. That year she married fellow designer John McConnell and both worked for Biba, with Macgregor illustrating Hulanicki’s designs for Biba catalogues. During this time, she worked as illustrator and editor for lifestyle columns in The Observer, Woman’s Own, Nova and Glamour magazines among others.
In the 1980s and 90s, Macgregor’s focus shifted to highly realistic illustrations for advertising, book publishing and packaging. She constantly observed the world around her and experimented with different techniques. From 1983 she exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy summer exhibitions and never stopped creating throughout her life, focusing particularly on depictions of fruit. In 2017, Moira's family generously donated a significant collection of her work to the University of Dundee, in accordance with her wishes.