Marzaroli Fund

The Archive Centre at Glasgow Caledonian University is proud to be entrusted with the Marzaroli Collection - the complete works of the much celebrated photographer and cameraman, the late Oscar Marzaroli.

Marzaroli captured images of Scotland and its inhabitants at a time of great social change, principally the 1950s, 60s and 70s.  This was an exceptional time in the country’s history when, for example, city slums were being cleared to make way for new social housing and Marzaroli’s images perfectly encapsulate the atmosphere surrounding these fundamental shifts in society.  He is known for iconic images such as the Glasgow skyline used for the cover of Deacon Blue’s Raintown album.

This is a major collection in Scotland’s visual heritage, a collection of national and international importance and we are extremely grateful to the Marzaroli family for generously entrusting the Collection to GCU.

The Marzaroli Fund

The Marzaroli Fund has been established to support The Archive Centre in unearthing hidden gems within the Collection’s 50,000 negatives, some of which have never been developed or printed, or even viewed by his family. The fund will help us to preserve, catalogue and digitise the collection making it available to everyone. It will be available as a research tool for the local, national and international arena, providing resources not only for the academic community but also for the public, community and cultural engagement, with the opportunity for outreach projects.

To ensure that the entire collection can be preserved, cared for and accessed by all for the first time, we need your help in reaching our target of £200,000.

Oscar Marzaroli Collection

Hear singer-songwriter and broadcaster Ricky Ross, a close friend and admirer of Oscar’s work, on why he thinks you should get behind our campaign.


Benefit auction

On the 26th August 2019, friends, family and fans of Oscar Marzaroli celebrated the arrival of The Marzaroli Collection at Glasgow Caledonian University. We were delighted to welcome Oscar’s close friend Ricky Ross to officially open the auction, starting the fundraising campaign to preserve the collection for future generations. Poignantly, the event marked the 31st anniversary of Oscar’s death making it a timely celebration of his life and iconic work. Read more about the event.

Golden Haired Lass, by Oscar Marzoli

Supporting the Fund

You can play a part in supporting the preservation of this important collection for future generations by making an online donation.

Donate today