Partner Article

North East swaps Angel for Sunflowers

The recent increase in Dutch visitors to the North East - spurred on by the rising value of the Euro against the pound - has prompted talks about a potential cultural exchange.

Officials from Holland’s capital are keen to join forces with Tyneside destinations, and have approached the NewcastleGateshead with plans for working closer together, including the possibility of a temporary loan of famous works of art.

The ambitious target for the new relationship is to facilitate an artistic exchange between the two locations. The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam will lend some of its most famous exhibits to the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, and in response Gateshead will loan out its most iconic symbol - the Angel of the North. It is hoped that the exchange will raise the profile of both Amsterdam and the North East, bringing visitors to each who may not otherwise have taken the trip.

Senior Dutch officials have been looking at using the success of the Newcastle-Amsterdam ferry route and its link to icons such as the Angel of the North and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge to raise the profile of their capital.

NewcastleGateshead Initiative, which has always counted Durham, Alnwick, and other attractions on the North East coast as part of its brand, has already expressed interest in the idea.

Andrew Dixon, Chief Executive of NGI, said: “There isn’t a day goes by when someone doesn’t try to copy the Angel of the North somewhere in the UK but this is the first time I’ve heard of a request for an international loan. Security will clearly be a major issue given that the model alone has been valued at £1 Million.”

Toerisme Dwaas, of Amsterdam’s Chamber of Trade, said: “More and more of our residents are taking trips to Newcastle each month, and our city has always been a popular destination for visitors from the North East of England. We want to echo this exchange of people with an exchange of symbols. The Angel of the North is well-known the world over, and its short stay in Holland will allow even more people to come and see it.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .