Paolozzi and un-Paolozzi

A trip to the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and the Dean Gallery was the highlight of a recent visit to Edinburgh.

The steel Paolozzi statue of Vulcan,seemingly barely confined by the Dean Gallery, is a favourite, as is the re-creation of Paolozzi’s studio. Add in good cafes and gift shops and it is the perfect (and quiet) place in Edinburgh to spend a lazy day.

I was able to get my Paolozzi fix closer to home with the following statue being outside an office building around the corner from my flat in Newcastle:

No more. Over the weekend, I had the fascinating sight of this bronze statue being removed with the aid of a digger, low-loading lorry and a large number of men in high-visibility jackets  - I am assuming that this was a planned move rather than an audacious art theft – to be replaced by a spiral of supermarket trolleys. A pity.