National Museum of Fine Arts, Malta

National Museum of Fine Arts
Mużew Nazzjonali tal-Arti

View of the museum.
Dissolved To be transferred to the Auberge d'Italie in late 2016
Location South Street, Valletta VLT 1101, Malta
Type Fine Art Museum
Collection size

Paintings
Sculpture
Monuments
Ceramics
Maltese traditional furniture

Occasional exhibitions
Public transit access Walk down from the Valletta City Gate and turn left at South Street
Website www.heritagemalta.org

The National Museum of Fine Arts, located at the Admiralty House also known as Casa Miasi,[1][2] is Malta’s major museum for the visual arts.[3] It houses a collection of works by Maltese and foreign artists mainly representing the major European artistic styles.

Overview

The museum is located in the capital city of Valletta, in a palace at the lower end of South Street. The area is the seat of fine historical palaces dating from the times of the Order of St John of Jerusalem that are now used by government ministries and departments. It is also well known for its wine bars and cafes, and views of the city's grid-shaped streets which visitors usually explore on their way to the museum. The museum is managed by Heritage Malta.[4]

Building

Internal yard of the palace; on the limestone wall is written 1763, the year it was built

The Admiralty House is a historic palace in Valletta built in 1763, on the site of former Casa Mazzinghi,[5] during the Order of St. John.[2][6] The palace was design By Andrea Belli in the baroque style.[7] It was built during the Knights of Malta, by Chavallier Ramon de Sousa y Silva, a wealthy Portuguese knight of the Order of St John who used it as his private home.[8] Apart from the facade, the palace's main feature is the baroque monumental staircase.[9][10][11]

During the early 19th century the palace was home for a brief time to Louis Charles of Orleans, Comte de Beaujolais, a relative of the King of France.[3] In the 1820s (1821-1961,[11] the building became Admiralty House and the seat of the Commander-in Chief of the British Mediterranean Fleet.[12] It hosted such high-ranking personalities as Lord Louis Mountbatten of Burma, Winston Churchill, King George V and Queen Elizabeth II amongst other high-profile personalities.[6][13][14]

The palace was officially inaugurated as the National Museum of Fine Arts in 1974 after the Fine Arts Collection was moved from the Auberge de Provence to make space for the National Museum of Archaeology. The building is listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands.[15]

Fine arts collection

A section of the museum having antique arts and traditional Maltese furniture

The museum houses the major part of the national collection of Malta. The collection began in 1923 when the first fine arts curator, Vincenzo Bonello, embarked on establishing a collection within what was then called the National Museum. Bonello acquired numerous works of excellent quality on the local art market, and in London and Italy. Most were purchased at a time when prices in the art market where still within reach of the museum's modest budget. Public spirited individuals and organizations also left significant bequests.

The Turner watercolour displayed in the museum.

The permanent display includes the largest collection of paintings by the Southern Italian Baroque artist Mattia Preti (1613–1699), an Italian Knight of the Order of Malta who also contributed to the transformation of the interior of St. John’s Co-Cathedral, Valletta. This, together with a fine and rare collection of antique maps, represents one of the strengths of the collection.

The works of other artists on display include Guido Reni (1575–1642), the Caravaggisti Valentin de Boulogne (1591–1632), Giuseppe Ribera (1591–1662) and Matthias Stom (1600–1652), as well as Carlo Maratta (1625–1713) and Bernardo Strozzi (1581–1644). Works by Dutch, French and British artists are also on permanent display.[2][10]

The collection also includes the works of two outstanding Maltese sculptors, Melchiorre Gafà (1636–1667) and Antonio Sciortino (1879–1947), and a noteworthy group of Maltese landscapes. The Grand Harbour of Malta and its environs is the subject of a Joseph Mallord William Turner watercolour on permanent loan from HSBC Bank Malta (1775–1851). Other works by Edward Lear (1812–1888), Louis Ducros (1748–1810) and local artists representing the same subject are also on display.[2][10]

Maltese furniture and silver

The museum exhibits a collection of Maltese furniture and silverware, as well as majolica jars mainly of Sicilian production. Many of the jars were in use at the Sacra Infermaria, the Hospital of the Order of St John.[16] Ecclesiastical silverware is also on display, including a rare fifteenth century chalice of Parisian workmanship.

Contemporary art and temporary exhibitions

The museum has a very active calendar of temporary exhibitions mainly by Maltese artists. Museum curated exhibitions have included the following:

Projects

Restoration works are currently underway in the museum’s courtyard, called 'Il-Loggia'. Il-Loggia is a venue for exhibitions and events. Other conservation and maintenance works are also being planned.[17]

In 2012, there was a proposal to move the museum to Auberge d'Italie.[18] This move was reversed by the government in late 2013.[19]

References

  1. ↑ "Malta. Ediz. Inglese".
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Yet more houses in Valletta".
  3. 1 2 Heritage Malta Brochure. The National Museum of Fine Arts: A brief guide. Midsea Books Ltd.
  4. ↑ "National Museum of Fine Arts".
  5. ↑ ref>http://mhs.eu.pn/mh/19632.html</ref
  6. 1 2 F. Denaro, Victor, "Yet more houses in Valletta", Melitensia, p. 16-9.
  7. ↑ "Malta - Guide Verdi Europa".
  8. ↑ http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/01133.pdf
  9. ↑ http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Proceedings%20of%20History%20Week/PHW%201994/05s.pdf, p. 75-6.
  10. 1 2 3 "12 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Valletta".
  11. 1 2 Stephen Degiorgio. "Palaces and Lodgings of the Knights of St John at Malta".
  12. ↑ http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/01133.pdf/
  13. ↑ "Malta. Ediz. Inglese".
  14. ↑ http://www.melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Melita%20Historica/MH.03(1960-63)/MH.3(1963)4/orig02.pdf
  15. ↑ "Musueum of Fine Arts" (PDF). National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. 28 December 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  16. ↑ Heritage Malta, National Museum of Fine Arts, euromuse.net, retrieved 4 February 2011
  17. ↑ http://www.parlament.mt/file.aspx?f=44874
  18. ↑ Auberges in Valletta. Vassallo History. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  19. ↑ Government reverses move of Museum of Fine Arts to Auberge d’Italie. The Malta Independent, 10 November 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2014.

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Coordinates: 35°53′54″N 14°30′33″E / 35.89833°N 14.50917°E / 35.89833; 14.50917

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