18 Facts About Richard Demarco

Richard Demarco was born at 9 Grosvenor Street in Edinburgh on 9 July 1930 the son of Carmino Demarco and his wife Elizabeth Valentina Fusco.

Richard Demarco's cousin was Theodora di Marco, salonista and viola player.

For many years, the Richard Demarco Gallery promoted cultural links with Eastern Europe, both in terms of presenting artists such as Paul Neagu from 1969, Marina Abramovic from 1973 and Neue Slowenische Kunst from 1986 within Scotland, organising exhibitions of contemporary Polish, Romanian and Yugoslav art and in establishing outgoing connections for Scottish artists across Europe.

Richard Demarco introduced Beuys and Kantor to one another and in one performance of Lovelies and Dowdies Beuys performed under Kantor's direction.

For many years, after the Scottish Arts Council withdrew its annual grant in 1980 following controversy associated with Joseph Beuys' support for Jimmy Boyle, the Richard Demarco Gallery led a financially straitened existence.

Since the early 1990s, Richard Demarco's activity has continued under the auspices of the Demarco European Art Foundation.

Richard Demarco has presented several thousand art exhibitions, plays, music, conferences, and various other performances, mainly in Edinburgh, involving artists from at least sixty countries, including all of central and eastern Europe during the Cold War, North and South America, all countries of western Europe, Australasia, and from Southern Africa, Middle East, and other parts of Asia.

In 2013 Richard Demarco organised an Italo-Scottish pavilion at the Venice Biennale, his fourth pavilion there.

Richard Demarco has attended every Edinburgh Festival and mounted arts programmes in most of them including major art exhibitions for the Edinburgh International Festival, called the 'official festival'.

Richard Demarco's ethos is to remain faithful to the founding principle of the Edinburgh Festival, which is to heal the wounds of war through the languages of the arts.

Richard Demarco is one of the most widely recognised and best loved arts figures in Scotland and far beyond.

Richard Demarco was a regular contributor to ArtReview, then titled Arts Review throughout the 1980s.

In 1976, Richard Demarco received a Gold Medal from the Polish government and in 1986, he was made a Cavaliere of the Italian Republic.

Richard Demarco has been awarded honorary doctorates by universities in Europe and North America and, from 1993 to 2000, he was Professor of European Culture at the University of Kingston.

Richard Demarco received the European Citizen's Medal on Monday 19 August 2013, in a ceremony held at the European Parliament Office, Brussels, the only UK citizen and only arts person receiving this honour.

Also, in 2013, Richard Demarco was featured in an episode of the BBC's The Culture Show hosted by Sue Perkins.

On Monday 24 March 2014, Richard Demarco received an engraved Loving Cup from Edinburgh City Council presented by the Lord Provost in the City Chambers.

An impression of Richard Demarco's handprints has been immortalised on a flagstone in the City Chambers quadrangle alongside previous Edinburgh Award recipients Ian Rankin, JK Rowling, George Kerr, Sir Chris Hoy, Professor Peter Higgs and Elizabeth Blackadder.