The Laing Art Gallery is one of the most popular in Newcastle

People in Tyneside and the rest of the north-east of England spend �29.6m each year buying original artistic works.

They are also the most frequent visitors to museums and galleries.

Nine out of 10 people in the North East visited an art exhibition, gallery or museum during the last 12 months.

More than 50% of those asked saw an exhibition at least every six months, the survey commissioned by PizzaExpress Prospects 2003 found.

Prospects is a national contemporary art prize, now in its fourth year, and its poll questioned 600 people across the UK.

The top 10 artiest places in the UK Newcastle London Glasgow Birmingham Cardiff Bristol St Ives, Cornwall South-east England South-west England Norwich

The majority of Geordies - 56% - pursue artistic pastimes, with 27% regularly involved in photography and 17% opting for painting.

The survey found that people in the UK as a whole spent �6.7bn on art, an average of �180 per person.

Research director Rob Montgomery said: "This survey shows how art really is the new rock and roll - and not only in London.

"In fact you are twice as likely to visit a gallery up to 12 times a year if you live on the Tyne than if you lived on the Thames."