RICHARD DEMARCO was born in Edinburgh in 1930. He is an artist and patron of the visual and performing arts. He has been one of Scotland's most influential advocates for contemporary art through his work at the Richard Demarco Gallery and the Demarco European Art Foundation. He has attended every Edinburgh Festival since its inception in 1947, and he was a cofounder of the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh in 1963. He is Professor Emeritus of European Cultural Studies at Kingston University, London.