The debate will be concluded without any question being put.Motion debated,That the Parliament notes and celebrates the 80th birthday of Richard Demarco, one of Scotland’s leading figures in art promotion and an advocate for contemporary art for decades; further notes that he has promoted cross-cultural links, taking Scottish artists abroad and bringing other European artists here, making a particular contribution to the understanding of Eastern European art between 1968 and 1989 with his journeys behind the Iron Curtain, that he was a co-founder of the Traverse Theatre in 1963 before going on to found his own gallery and the Demarco European Art Foundation, that he has been involved with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in one way or another since its inception and that he has made a contribution to the academic understanding of Scottish and European culture through his lecture work, including his professorship at Kingston University in London; also notes that his drawings, paintings and prints are held in more than 1,200 collections and that his 80th birthday will be marked by a major exhibition in the Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) from 28 November 2010 to 17 January 2011, highlighting Mr Demarco’s collaboration with other artists and featuring works from Magdalena Abakanowicz, Marina Abramovicz, David Mach, Alistair Maclennan, Gunther Uecker, Ainslie Yule, Joseph Beuys, Tadeusz Kantor, Mario Merz and Paul Neagu; further notes that this honour afforded by the RSA comes on top of other honours bestowed on Richard Demarco, including the Polish Gold Order of Merit, the Cavaliere della Republica d’Italia, the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres de France and a CBE; congratulates him on his achievements to date...