'Edinburgh could become a world leader in showcasing visual art'

EDINBURGH has the potential to become one of the world's leading locations to showcase the visual arts, a new festival organiser has said, as it emerged more than 500,000 people flocked to exhibitions in the city this summer.

Robert Wilson, who has been appointed chairman of the Edinburgh Art Festival, said Scotland's capital should be looking to emulate the likes of Basel and Venice as a home for major exhibitions and one-off projects.

Work by the likes of Martin Creed, Edward Weston, Richard Wright and Joan Mitchell were among the biggest draws in Edinburgh this summer, along with the blockbuster Impressionist Gardens show at the National Gallery of Scotland.

Mr Wilson - co-creator of the Jupiter Artland sculpture park near Edinburgh Airport - yesterday vowed to lead a major expansion of the festival, which was launched in 2004, when galleries and visual art organisations agreed to join forces for the first time.

Jupiter Artland, which Mr Wilson and his wife Nicky have created in the grounds of their Bonnington House estate, has been a huge success after work was commissioned from the likes of Nathan Coley, Charles Jencks, Peter Liversidge, Jim Lambie and Cornelia Parker.

Mr Wilson said: "It's been a great year for the Art Festival, with some 54 exhibitions in 48 venues, and more than 60 different events. Our own numbers were well up on last year, from around 8,000 to more than 10,000. Some of the one-off work in the city, such as Richard Wright's painting in the stairwell of the Dean Gallery … was very popular.

"It's only recently the various galleries and organisations have begun to work with each other and I think there is huge potential for the festival to grow to become a real world leader, like the events that are held in places like Venice and Basel."