Northern Ireland artists put Number Ten in the picture

Maggie Taggart
BBC Northern Ireland arts correspondent

A Good Catch, Donegal (1943-44) by James Humbert Craig 1877-1944

Visitors to the prime minister's residence in London will have no excuse for not knowing about Northern Ireland's premier artists.

Hanging on the walls for the next nine months is a selection of paintings on loan from the Ulster museum.

Number Ten Downing Street is not short of art work, but the prime minister likes to ring the changes and from now until September, he and his visitors will be passing by nine different pictures by Northern Ireland's masters.

A Frank McKelvey painting, Evening, Ballycastle, is hanging over the famous fireplace and the others include a Donegal scene by the Belfast-born James Humbert Craig. It's called A Good Catch, Donegal.

Leenane, by Paul Henry is another of the nine paintings loaned by the Ulster Museum to the government art collection.

Evening, Ballycastle (c.1924) by Frank McKelvey 1895-1974

It's the first time the museum has been asked to lend paintings to the collection and a big coup to have them shown in such a prestigious building.

Still Life is by William Scott who was raised in Enniskillen but spent time painting in France.

All nine works will be in Downing Street right through the general election campaign, ready to greet whichever prime minister is in office.

National Museums and Galleries chief executive Tim Cooke, said: "It makes you very proud to walk into Downing Street and see these fabulous paintings from the Ulster Museum hanging there on display to leaders from all around the world.

"Hopefully it gives them a very good impression of what Northern Ireland is like and its fantastic tradition of visual art and painting."