Vandals destroy £50,000 sculpture-garden work of art

VANDALS have destroyed one of the main works of art at an acclaimed cultural attraction on the outskirts of Edinburgh.

• Over Here, in the form of a giant cobweb, has been one of the main attractions at Jupiter Artland outside Edinburgh. Picture: Neil Hanna

Shane Waltener's four-metre cobweb work, said to have been inspired by Shetland lace, has been one of the main draws at Jupiter Artland, a private sculpture garden in the grounds of Bonnington House.

However, police said the work - entitled Over Here and valued at up to 50,000 - had been this week torn from the trees where it was hanging and stretched out of shape.

Owned by art lovers Robert and Nicky Wilson, the 80-acre estate is home to works by the likes of Charles Jencks, Anish Kapoor, Andy Goldsworthy, Antony Gormley and Ian Hamilton Finlay.

Detectives believe the Waltener work was damaged some time between Sunday and Monday.

A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police said: "This has been a mindless act of wanton destruction that has resulted in one artist's creation being completely destroyed.

"Anyone who was in or around the Bonnington Estate on either Sunday or Monday and remembers seeing any suspicious activity is asked to contact us immediately."

Thousands of art lovers have flocked to the estate, near Edinburgh Airport, during the summer months since the first works were unveiled by the Wilsons in 2009.