Launched only weeks ago at the Basilica of Our Lady of Porto Salvo and St Dominic in Valletta – Giuseppe Calì’s native parish – this touring exhibition is now on its second stop, at the Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady in Mosta.
Titled Celebrating Giuseppe Calì, the exhibition forms part of a wider initiative called Your MUŻA, created with the aim of bringing works from the national art collection closer to the public, by temporarily loaning them to different localities with which they bear a connection.
Calì was commissioned to create various works at the Mosta Rotunda – including paintings of the Madonna of the Rosary, the Holy Trinity, the prophets and the angels, and the Eight Stages of the Life of Jesus Christ.
Within this context, two new exhibits will enrich the display. The first is an artistic sketch of the painting The Death of St Augustine, one of the lateral pieces in the chapel of our Lady of Consolation, which forms part of the basilica’s collection.
The second addition comprises negatives of old photos showing a damaged Calì painting on the church’s dome, after it was hit during an Axis attack in World War II.
Speaking at the inauguration of the exhibition, Anġlu Farrugia, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malta, described the opening of the exhibition as “an invitation to remember, reflect and appreciate what for us has artistic and spiritual value”.
He said: “This project will make people feel a sense of belonging to what they have inherited, in a set-up where art no longer waits for people but goes to the people, in the heart of the community – in the places that had and still have the link with what is spiritual, educational and historical.”
Farrugia added that he believes so much in the value of ‘Your MUŻA’, that from his own office he immediately accepted the request that was submitted for one of Calì’s paintings, exhibited in
Parliament, to be loaned for this exhibition, so that the public could enjoy it.
Mario Cutajar, director of MUŻA, chairperson of Heritage Malta and curator of this exhibition, said: “Your MUŻA is just one of MUŻA’s efforts to reach out and get closer to the community. Significant changes are under way at the museum – next month we will open six new renovated halls focusing on art in the 19th century, following the completion earlier this year of the halls
that take visitors from prehistory to the baroque period. In the meantime, another hall is now welcoming temporary exhibitions, meaning that the space for such exhibitions has been substantially increased.
“At MUŻA, the main focus is always the people – whether they are visiting the national art museum or whether MUŻA is approaching them with exhibitions such as this one, celebrating Giuseppe Calì.”
Fr Bastjan Caruana, archpriest of the Basilica of the Sanctuary of the Assumption of Mary in Mosta, said: “The church includes Calì’s first public work – the painting of Our Lady of the Rosary – and several other works that trace the artist’s development, including the painting of St Augustine which is claimed to include a self-portrait of the artist. We are very happy that the church
is hosting this exhibition, which will undoubtedly continue to attract more visitors to the beautiful village of Mosta.”
Accompanying the exhibition is a detailed catalogue, a digital version and physical copies which are available for purchase on site.
The exhibition is open in Mosta until June 25, from Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 5.30pm, on Saturday from 9.30am to 4.30pm, and on Sunday from 12pm to 5pm. Admission is free.
The exhibition will then visit Lija and Sliema later in the year.
This article was provided by Heritage Malta.
