The Long 70s: Italian Journeys through the Demarco Archives

Since the 1960s Richard Demarco has had a pivotal role in the production and promotion of the visual and performing arts in Scotland. The Italo-Scottish artist, cultural entrepreneur and educator has organised and fostered cultural exchanges and collaborations throughout Europe and has been a champion of European culture and the avant-garde in Scotland. Although some research and publications have been devoted to Demarco's endeavours, little is known of the numerous cultural exchanges and collaborations between Italy and Scotland that he initiated and developed in the past fifty years. This chapter uncovers and examines documents in the Demarco Archive with the aim to reassess some of the most relevant exhibitions and collaborations at the Richard Demarco Gallery in Edinburgh featuring major Italian galleries, artists, curators and museums in the late 60s and 70s.