Member News
By Nick Assinder - 25th January 2010
Visitors to Moncrieff's bar and cafe are used to pictures of hacks adorning the walls - but a van Gogh?
The glorious self-portrait now hanging in what was once the press bar has not, however, been "liberated" from the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.
It is a superbly accurate copy by the much-loved former political editor of the Manchester Evening News, Ian Craig, who died on October 23 aged just 64.
Re-creating van Gogh's works was only one of Ian's talents beyond journalism.
Along with his friend Paul Desmond, he was also an award-winning short film maker who, amongst other things, documented the final day of the old press bar.
He also co-authored a book on the 1974 division of Cyprus which was shortlisted for the George Orwell prize.
The picture was presented to the press gallery at an event last week to mark the life of the journalist and which saw Moncrieff's packed to bursting point - a rarity for this newly-created and much-troubled facility.
Colleagues, politicians, and members of staff joined with Ian's family and friends for the event and heard Lord Alf Morris and immigration minister Phil Woolas recount some of their memories of working with Ian.
If such an event can ever be described as enjoyable, then this was just such an occasion.
And if I was a curator at the Musee d'Orsay I might just want to check some of those pictures again. Just to be sure.
Article Comments
Paul Desmond's film record of the event:
http://vimeo.com/9065470
Ian Wylie
22nd Apr 2010 at 3:56 pm
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd
Janet Davies
29th Apr 2010 at 5:56 pm