With the perpetuating trend in overblown celebrity art collections dividing critics, it would seem that anyone worth their weight in platinum discs feels compelled to acquire a multitude of Emins or Hirsts, no matter how diminutive the pieces may be.

Adding fuel to the cultural debate, Baltic have opened their Autumn season with a new three year initiative, The Collector's Series. Alongside the now infamous Nan Goldin exhibition from Elton John's Thanksgiving Collection, is The Zabludowicz Collection, entitled 'When We Build, Let Us Think That We Build Forever'.

Newcastle-born Anita Zabludowicz returns to the North East to open her extensive collection of works by established and emerging contemporary artists to the public for free. The exhibition coincides with the opening of Anita's London gallery space, 176, at 176 Prince of Wales Road, and seeks to question the purpose and intentions of the 'collector'.

The collection boasts high-profile works such as Tracey Emin's emotive neon installation 'I Kiss You' and Gilbert and George's 'Emerald Crusade' photograph  produced in 1980. Also selected to highlight the collector's commitment to developing artists are works by local talent Graham Dolphin and a portrait of Anita by Boo Ritson, suitably named 'The Collector'.

Interactive pieces include a striking sculpture of a ceramic black crow perched on a tree with mosaic mirrored handbags by Turner Prize nominee Jim Lambie and a large fibreglass dog of anime-style smoothness by Japanese pop artist Yoshitomo Nara. Terence Koh's glass vitrine sculpture and Michael Landy's costermonger's stall with fresh flowers also emphasise the diversity and vital exuberance of the collection.