Above: a piece by artist George Wylie, from the Demarco Archives Romanian Room.

Such is the service of a fine art and of ships that sail the sea but the special call of an art which has passed away is never reproduced. It is as utterly gone out of the world as the song of a destroyed wild bird. (Joseph Conrad).

Today Adam and I dropped in to talk with Richard Demarco and Terry Newman at the Demarco Gallery and Archives at Summerhall in Edinburgh. Tomorrow we’ll be continuing to film the upcoming documentary about the Luffness and Carmelite Friary project.

It strikes me that when I write a feature here on an artist, arts venue or project, it’s most often about Richard Demarco. This is because, put simply, he’s one of the most inspiring people I know in the arts world.

Also he’s the one person I know who will consider supporting my more meaningful, less commercial forays into art, such as the Planets project back in 2019 (inspired by C.S. Lewis and Michael Ward’s discovery that the Chronicles of Narnia were informed by Medieval cosmology and philosophy as well as Christianity). Or my current project inspired by the Carmelite Friary at Luffness

Summerhall in Edinburgh has now been sold and it’s no longer possible for the Demarco Archives to be housed and maintained there. Part of the Demarco archive is in the National Gallery of Scotland, but a large part – a vast collection of original art and documentation of the entire history of the Demarco Archive, Foundation and Gallery over the decades – no longer has a home.

As Richard is now 94, this is a pressing concern. Since Richard has been a champion of Poland and Polish art over the decades, going back to Iron Curtain times, it’s heartening (and exciting) that the Muzeum Sztuki, or the Museum of Art in Łódź, Poland wishes to keep, exhibit and maintain the Demarco Archives and collections in their entirety.

I wish that Scotland cared for its cultural heritage better than it does.

Below are a few highlights from the Romanian Room today, apologies for the informal photos which don’t do full justice to the works, including work by Paul Neagu, David Nash and Pat Douthwaite among others.

Firstly though, below, among my favourite work from the entire collecton is that by Terry Ann Newman (Deputy Director of the Demarco Trust). I find her direct, emotional, and visceral, yet elegant compositions and subject matter truly extraordinary …