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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Solid gold Moss statue revealed | Solid gold Moss statue revealed |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A 50kg solid gold statue of model Kate Moss has been unveiled at the British Museum, in London. | A 50kg solid gold statue of model Kate Moss has been unveiled at the British Museum, in London. |
| The £1.5m sculpture, entitled Siren, is by artist Marc Quinn and is one of several contemporary sculptures in the exhibition Statuephilia. | The £1.5m sculpture, entitled Siren, is by artist Marc Quinn and is one of several contemporary sculptures in the exhibition Statuephilia. |
| Each work has been sited in a different gallery within the museum, placed with items from its permanent collection. | Each work has been sited in a different gallery within the museum, placed with items from its permanent collection. |
| Quinn's sculpture is said to be the largest gold statue created since the time of Ancient Egypt. | Quinn's sculpture is said to be the largest gold statue created since the time of Ancient Egypt. |
| 'Ideal beauty' | 'Ideal beauty' |
| Described by the museum as an "Aphrodite of our times", it sits in the Museum's Nereid Gallery, alongside its statues of famous Greek beauties. | Described by the museum as an "Aphrodite of our times", it sits in the Museum's Nereid Gallery, alongside its statues of famous Greek beauties. |
| Quinn, whose most famous work was Alison Lapper Pregnant, has said of using Moss as a subject: "I thought the next thing to do would be to make a sculpture of the person who's the ideal beauty of the moment. | Quinn, whose most famous work was Alison Lapper Pregnant, has said of using Moss as a subject: "I thought the next thing to do would be to make a sculpture of the person who's the ideal beauty of the moment. |
| The museum hopes it will remind visitors of its diverse collection"But even Kate Moss doesn't live up to the image." | The museum hopes it will remind visitors of its diverse collection"But even Kate Moss doesn't live up to the image." |
| Other artists in the exhibition include Damien Hirst and Antony Gormley. | Other artists in the exhibition include Damien Hirst and Antony Gormley. |
| Hirst has addressed his fascination with death by filling the historic wall cases of the Enlightenment Gallery with 200 specially created skulls. | Hirst has addressed his fascination with death by filling the historic wall cases of the Enlightenment Gallery with 200 specially created skulls. |
| Nine-metre wingspan | Nine-metre wingspan |
| Gormley's Case for an Angel I will fills the entire front hall of the museum. | Gormley's Case for an Angel I will fills the entire front hall of the museum. |
| The work - a precursor to his celebrated public sculpture, Angel of the North - is raised high on a plinth. It boasts a nine-metre wingspan. | The work - a precursor to his celebrated public sculpture, Angel of the North - is raised high on a plinth. It boasts a nine-metre wingspan. |
| Ron Mueck's Mask II, a self-portrait of the artist sleeping, is in the heart of the Living and Dying: Wellcome Trust Gallery with the museum's monumental Maoi. | Ron Mueck's Mask II, a self-portrait of the artist sleeping, is in the heart of the Living and Dying: Wellcome Trust Gallery with the museum's monumental Maoi. |
| British Museum modern collections co-ordinator Philip Attwood said: "Perhaps because the British Museum is often celebrated as a museum of antiquities, it is not always realised that its collections also include a broad range of contemporary works from around the world." | British Museum modern collections co-ordinator Philip Attwood said: "Perhaps because the British Museum is often celebrated as a museum of antiquities, it is not always realised that its collections also include a broad range of contemporary works from around the world." |
| Statuephilia: Contemporary Sculptors at the British Museum is open to the public from Saturday until 25 January. | Statuephilia: Contemporary Sculptors at the British Museum is open to the public from Saturday until 25 January. |
| Art appeal | |
| Meanwhile, The National Portrait Gallery has launched a public appeal to raise £200,000 for Marc Quinn's self-portrait head cast made from frozen blood. | |
| The gallery wants to buy the fourth head in a series, made in 2006, which is being sold by London's White Cube gallery for £350,000. | |
| The Art Fund has offered a £100,000 grant and the National Portrait Gallery has found £50,000 from its own resources, leaving it to raise the remainder by December 31. | |
| Quinn has made a new cast, using eight or nine pints of his own blood, every five years to document his ageing since 1991. |