Fighting till his Final Breath: Richard Demarco as a Public Intellectual

Abstract

Richard Demarco has long been a prominent figure in the Scottish cultural sphere. He has been a significant cultural progenitor, raising the profile of the visual arts within Scotland. In his long cultural life he has often come into conflict with Scotland’s cultural ‘officialdom’ and is a strident critic of the present-day Edinburgh Festival and Fringe. This article examines Demarco the public intellectual, often overshadowed by Demarco the provocative, hyperbolic showman. It identifies and contextualises Demarco’s abiding themes, locating them in a belief that art has a unique ability to heal personal and societal wounds. It goes on to examine whether his ‘declinist’ dismissal of much contemporary culture stems from an elitist disdain and whether his cultural vision is nostalgic and narrow. The article also examines Demarco’s critiques of both commercialism and state-supported cultural institutions. It argues that underneath the public persona there lies a unique and challenging cultural vision; one which will survive after his rich cultural life ends.