A NORTH-EAST arts centre has been shortlisted alongside some of the world's most inspirational buildings for an industry award.

But the news comes in the wake of the revelation that part of a £400,000 exhibit by Oyvind Fahlstrom was snatched from the Baltic Arts Centre, in Gateshead, near the end of its world tour.

The Baltic, which has been visited by thousands of people since it opened in July, is in the running to win the international Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Building of the Year award 2003.

The Baltic, entered in the regeneration category, is one of only 30 buildings out of 86 entries from the UK, Spain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US to make it to the shortlist.

North-East RICS assessment panel chairman Peter Smith said: "The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art deserves to be on the shortlist as it has fast become one of the most talked about buildings in the UK.

"Previous winners have included the Royal Opera House, in London, the 2000 Olympic Stadium, in Sydney, and Pier One, San Francisco.

"The North-East should be proud to have a building of such stature and the eyes of the world will be on it until the winner is announced in London on May 13."

Among the projects vying for the title are the Glasgow Science Centre, the Great Hall of Queen's University, Belfast, and Glasgow Central Station.

Meanwhile, Gateshead police are trying to trace an 18cm by 23cm ink drawing, which formed part of an exhibit called 182 Improvisations for Night Music.

A police spokesman said some effort had been taken to remove the artwork from its mount, which had been attached with metal hinges.

He said the theft, which took place on November 20, was likely to have the work of an opportunist thief.

He said: "We are studying CCTV footage from the Baltic and details of the stolen drawing are being circulated to other police forces."

The drawing is said to be of limited value because it is unsigned and forms part of a bigger work.

The Fahlstrom exhibition, which ran from September 28 to November 24, was his first solo show in the UK and the most comprehensive presentation of the late artist's work to date.