A controversial artwork by Isle of Man trained artist Michael Sandle is attracting wide publicity at one of London's top summer visitor attractions.

Death, Destruction and Downing Street is the theme of the three-panel triptych in charcoal.

It shows a naked Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie leaving Number Ten amid the chaos of the war in Iraq.

A centrepiece at the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition, the work depicts the Blairs between a pile of dead bodies and a British soldier beating a prisoner.

Michael Sandle was raised and educated in Douglas.

He says his repugnance at the war - and the Prime Minister's role in it - compelled him to create the work:


(Pictured: detail from the central panel of Michael Sandle's work in Charcoal, Iraq Triptych)