A FLAGSHIP North-East arts venue has announced the appointment of four trustees.

The renowned artist Antony Gormley, arts writer and BBC television presenter Andrew Graham-Dixon, long-serving Royal Academy exhibitions secretary Norman Rosenthal and Independent Curator Isabel Vasseur have joined the board of the Baltic in Gateshead.

The board is now 12-strong.

Mr Gormley, who cemented a special relationship with the Baltic in 2003 with an acclaimed exhibition, has exhibited at Whitechapel, Tate and Hayward Galleries and internationally.

The Angel of the North and, more recently, Quantum Cloud, in Greenwich, are among the most celebrated examples of contemporary British sculpture. Mr Gormley won the Turner Prize in 1994.

Mr Graham-Dixon's former roles have included chief art critic for The Independent, contributing editor of Vogue, chief art correspondent for the Sunday Telegraph magazine and chief art correspondent for Talk magazine, New York.

Mr Rosenthal has had a remarkable career in the visual arts. Since 1977, he has been exhibitions secretary at The Royal Academy of Arts in London.

Ms Vasseur has been an internationally-recognised pioneer of the Public Art movement since 1980. She has commissioned national and international artists to contribute to UK projects, including the Glasgow and Gateshead garden festivals.

Baltic chairman Sir Ian Wrigglesworth said : "I am delighted to welcome these new trustees. We have been very fortunate to attract such distinguished figures from the world of art.

"They come from very different perspectives, and bring a wide range of expertise and experience to our deliberations."

Published: 18/02/2005