Richard DeMarco

Discover the essence of Scotland’s cultural brilliance with Demarco’s Scotland, an immersive journey into the heart of one of the world’s most captivating nations. Experience the richness of Scottish identity, woven with threads of history, art and tradition. This, the compelling sequel to Demarco’s Edinburgh, is where the soul of Scotland is laid bare through the eyes of Richard Demarco and Roddy Martine. Explore the profound connections between art, culture and history as you trace Scotland’s evolution from ancient pilgrimage routes to modern-day artistic endeavours. Whether you are a seasoned Scot or a newcomer to its shores, Demarco’s Scotland is a celebration of the country’s enduring spirit and timeless quest for meaning. The perfect read for Festival enthusiasts, cultural explorers and history buffs.

Gallery Director, artist and teacher Richard Demarco was in at the very start of the Edinburgh Festival in August 1947. Born at the beginning of that same year, Roddy Martine’s involvement commenced in 1963 when, at the age of sixteen, he edited an Edinburgh Festival magazine. Therefore both Richard and Roddy have highly individual memories of the most remarkable international festival of the arts the world has ever known. At the same time, both have witnessed its evolution from the noble vision of its founders. Now in its seventy-sixth year, can the Edinburgh Festival survive? Demarco’s Edinburgh will be a hit with any Edinburgh Festival regular, newbie or on-and-off visitor. It will also be of interest to anyone who wants to learn more about the modern history of Edinburgh or the world of the arts, given the central role the festivals hold in the culture of both.

Richard Demarco co-founded the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh in 1963 and ran the vibrant Richard Demarco Gallery in Edinburgh for almost 30 years. He promotes crosscultural dialogues and was the first person to introduce Joseph Beuys in the UK. Joseph Beuys was a German sculptor and creator of action performances, political activist and teacher. This book explores the works, lectures and ‘Actions’ which resulted from the mutual hopes, inspirations and shared values of Richard Demarco and Joseph Beuys, the innovative and inspirational German postwar artist, from 1970 until Beuys’ death in 1986. Demarco, an avant-garde gallerist in Edinburgh, was an early proponent of Scotland taking its place within the European art world; Demarco recognised the visionary quality of Beuys’ work and visited him in Oberkassel in January 1970. In the hope of focusing Beuys’ attention on Scotland, he presented him with a set of postcards depicting typical Scottish scenes. Beuys responded with, ‘I see the land of Macbeth, so when shall we two meet again, in thunder, lightning or in rain?’ They reunited in thundery Edinburgh later that year and Demarco led him northwards along the ancient track he calls ‘The Road to Meikle Seggie’. This initial experience of the Scottish landscape inspired Beuys, who felt a strong connection with Celtic culture, and laid the foundation for a remarkable artistic friendship which enriched the work of both men. With photos from Demarco’s personal collection and essays spanning from 1970 to the present, this is an intimate and intellectually rigorous look at a friendship seminal to the development of art in Scotland over the last 40 years.

To travel the road to Meikle Seggie is to undertake any journey which offers unexpected opportunities for intellectual growth and self-discovery. In the 1970s, Richard Demarco embarked on a series of journeys, starting in Edinburgh, to recover a sense of our living culture in the environments around us. These radiated out across Europe, underpinning the internationalism of this unique Scottish-Italian artist’s own extraordinary journey. Forty years later, the journey is renewed with this reproduction of Demarco’s original artwork and his first Meikle Seggie essay, along with a new translation into Italian and a new introduction.