Murdo Macdonald is an Emeritus Professor of the History of Scottish Art at the University of Dundee and a prominent scholar, critic, and editor in Scottish art and culture. He is the author of Scottish Art and a former editor of the Edinburgh Review. Macdonald played a key role in developing the practice-led PhD programme in Fine Art at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, alongside Will Maclean and Arthur Watson.
Macdonald's research focuses on Scottish cultural and artistic traditions, particularly the art of the Scottish Gàidhealtachd, as well as connections between art, literature, and science. He has written on figures such as Robert Burns, Patrick Geddes, James Macpherson, and C. T. R. Wilson, and has explored themes like the Celtic Revival and its international influence, including links with India and Japan.
In 2013, with Eric Shanes, he identified a lost Ossian-themed work by J. M. W. Turner. He has lectured internationally across Europe, North America, and Asia.
Macdonald is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. In 2009, Macdonald was made an honorary member of the Royal Scottish Academy, and an honorary fellow of the Association for Scottish Literary Studies in 2016.
