The Herald

A spectacular collection of modern art held inside a "masterpiece of contemporary architecture" to rival the Pompidou Centre in Paris or the Tate Modern in London should be built north of the border, the National Galleries of Scotland believes. Despite its own National Gallery of Modern Art and the Goma in Glasgow, it states in its submission to the Cultural Commission, which is due to release its interim report this week, that Scotland "lacks a great collection of contemporary art" compared to London. The NGS is currently celebrating a generous settlement in the latest Scottish Executive budget which will allow it to buy the building – previously leased – of the National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh's west end for £7.7m. It also intends to refurbish the National Portrait Gallery in the city centre, although plans are at any early stage and are thought to require several million pounds in lottery funds.