Richard Demarco, CBE, the influential artist, curator and cultural figure, has responded gratefully to a recent award.
The European Movement in Scotland named him 2025 Scottish European of the Year.
The Scottish Government has invited Demarco, now 95, to Holyrood to receive the award. The award will be presented by Angus Robertson MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture at the beginning of December.
In his response Demarco reflected on Scotland’s deep European connections. He ponders the cultural significance of the Edinburgh International Festival, and the opportunity to engage with his fellow members regarding the future of European-Scottish relations.
Cultural journeys and cross national cultural dialogues have been at the heart of Richard Demarco’s long cultural life.
Consistently, he has rejected the label of a purely Scottish artist or cultural figure. “I have never been anything but European”.
Demarco’s comment
He said: “I wish to thank you for everything that you have done to lighten my spirits with regard to the fact that a significant number of your fellow members of the European Movement in Scotland have voted for me to become 2025 Scottish European of the Year.
“The Edinburgh International Festival inspired me as a seventeen-year-old Edinburgh schoolboy to face the almost miraculous fact that Edinburgh was not just the capital of Scotland but the world capital of culture.
“With my Italo/Irish, and therefore Celtic ancestry, I have never been in doubt that the entire history of Scotland – particularly as I take the Declaration of Arbroath as proof – was distinctly part of the European Continent. Also, when I consider the fact that, during the reign of Mary Queen of Scots, over 40,000 Scots lived and worked in Poland and that, in the third decade of the 21st century, the second language of Scotland is Polish.”
Challenging Brexit
Demarco continued while musing over Brexit. He said: “As the European of the Year in Scotland, I would very much like to have the opportunity to speak to the members of the European Movement in Scotland, particularly because you have personally given me the glad tidings that Scotland’s Minister of Culture, Angus Robertson, will officially present me with the award at the Scottish Parliament. I would like to think that the ceremony will enable me to meet your fellow members who, like myself, regard Brexit as a flawed political concept.”
The Richard Demarco Foundation
He explained: “It may interest you to know that the official name of my charity is no longer The Demarco Archive Trust; it is now ‘The Richard Demarco Foundation’. The Foundation will have the responsibility of continuing the work developing the Demarco Archive and its related collection of art and its main function and purpose which is to be identified with the history of the Edinburgh International Festival.
“Nicola Benedetti, as the Edinburgh International Festival Director, gave me good cause to believe that the 2025 Festival, under her direction, was entitled ‘The Truth We Seek’.
“There is a great deal of untruth and there is no doubt in my mind that the one language that humanity can depend on must continue to be the reason why the Festival came into being in 1947 as ‘a healing balm’ as defined by Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Sir John Falconer and ‘the flowering of the human spirit’.”
Championing Cultural Ties
Richard Demarco’s acceptance of his award is not merely a personal thank you. It is a powerful articulation of the historical and cultural ties that firmly bind Scotland to the European continent.
His deep commitment to the legacy of the Edinburgh International Festival, viewed since 1947 as a “healing balm” and a celebration of the “flowering of the human spirit,” underlines his belief in culture as the essential European language. Using this recognition, Demarco hopes to engage with the European Movement in Scotland to reaffirm their shared vision and ensure that the newly established Richard Demarco Foundation continues to champion the arts as a vital bridge between Scotland and the wider world, especially Europe.
