New Scottish and Polish homes revealed for impressario Richard Demarco's vast art collection
Archive of 4,500 works moving from base at Summerhall in Edinburgh because of Fringe venue going up for sale
The vast collection amassed by contemporary arts impresario Richard Demarco is set to be housed in new homes in Scotland and Poland.
Demarco, who celebrated his 95th birthday this week, is a curator, writer, teacher and philosopher who has brought contemporary visual arts to the Edinburgh International Festival since its inception in 1947.
He has exhibited works by artists such as Damien Hirst, Joseph Beuys, Tadeusz Kantor, and Ian Hamliton Finlay.
But he has been forced to move the 4,500 piece strong Demarco Collection and Archive from its current base at Summerhall in Edinburgh because of the venue going up for sale last year.
The collection will now move to both the Muzeum Sztuki in Lodz, Poland, considered one of the world’s leading contemporary arts museums, and Papple Steading in East Lothian, the farm development and cultural hub owned by Scottish entrepreneur George Mackintosh and his wife Eriadne.
While some of the Collection has been held since 1995 as part of the National Collection by the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design at the University of Dundee will continue its plans to digitise the moving images and sound contained within the Collection in collaboration with Muzeum Sztuki and Papple.
He said: “It was of paramount importance to find such fitting new homes for the collection here in Scotland at Papple and at Sztuki in Lodz, and we extend great thanks to both teams for their commitment over the last few months to make this happen.
“And naturally, we are extremely happy that scholars and students will be able to access the collection in person and online over the years ahead.”
The Demarco Collection and Archive will be in place at Papple in Scotland and Museum Sztuki in Poland by the end of the summer.
Mr Mackintosh said: “Richard’s father was born in Dunbar, East Lothian, and he spent his childhood in the towns of Musselburgh and Portobello.
“In the same mindframe as the late multi-talented German artist Joseph Beuys, Richard has been a vigorous advocate of the environment for decades and he recalls that the great 18th century Scottish philosopher Lord Kames viewed agriculture as, “the chief of all arts”. Papple was home to Lady Eve Balfour, the founder of the Soil Association. Richard has brought his work to this farm, at which we will celebrate “Art in Agriculture”.
Daniel Muzyczuk, the director of Muzeum Sztuki, hailed Demarco as a “visionary curator” whose life had been “deeply intertwined with Polish art and culture.
He said: He has been a passionate advocate for Polish artists, tirelessly introducing their work to audiences across the UK and Europe.
“Demarco’s commitment to fostering culture exchange has opened doors for painters, sculptors, and performance artists from Poland.
“His long-standing friendship with the Museum Sztuki in Łódź has resulted in numerous collaborative projects.
“Through joint initiatives with the museum, he helped bring avant-garde Polish art into dialogue with Western European audiences.
“Over decades, Richard has supported emerging talents from Poland, ensuring their voices are heard on the international stage.”
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