The nude that's barely noticed

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The nude is one of 31 life-size casts of sculptor Antony Gormley dotted around London as part of his latest work, Event Horizon. They all look towards the Hayward Gallery on the South Bank, where an exhibition of Gormley's work, Blind Light, opens today.

But if these sculptures were designed to amuse, they are proving a success.

"Anything goes in London," said solicitor Sally Ashford, 39, from Guildford. "From a distance I thought it was really a naked man, but when I realised it was a statue I was more confused."

City insurance broker Mark Courtneidge, 50, from Lee, said: "It's quite good fun and we need more fun in London. As long as drivers aren't distracted."

Italian waiter Marco, 28, from Elephant and Castle, observed: "I wonder if he's lonely. They could pay me to stand beside him."

Fellow Italian Silvia Lombarda, 20, a student at King's College, said: "Our statues are much smaller in Italy. This one is, shall we say, more realistic. But the quality is not up to much. We are used to the work of Michelangelo." She thought the statue on the National Theatre's roof was a suicide attempt.

Stefano Calusini, 48, from Waterloo, was not a fan. "It's bizarre and I think it's total rubbish," he said. "Roman statues are much more sophisticated."

But Mimi Robinson, 44, a PA from Stockwell, disagreed, saying: "It's amazing. At first, I was underwhelmed by this one but it's nice to have the chance to see it close up. My nine-year-old son thought it was great."

That was, at least, a more charitable view than the verdict delivered by one middle-aged woman who refused to give her name: "He's uglier than I thought he would be."