MUŻA is an art museum located at Auberge d'Italie in Valletta, Malta. It was formerly located at Admiralty House between 1974 and 2016, when it was known as the National Museum of Fine Arts (Maltese : Mużew Nazzjonali tal-Arti).
It houses a collection of works by Maltese and foreign artists mainly representing the major European artistic styles. The museum was inaugurated on 7 May 1974, and it was located at Admiralty House, an 18th-century palace which was formerly the official residence of the Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet. The museum was closed down on 2 October 2016. In 2018 the national collection of fine arts was moved and put on display in the new National Community Art Museum, MUŻA (from the Maltese acronym Mużew Nazzjonali tal-Arti), located at Auberge d’Italie in Valletta. [1]
Its collection had previously formed part of the National Museum at Auberge de Provence. Following the split, the museum at the auberge was left with archaeological artifacts, and it was renamed the National Museum of Archaeology. The museum was managed by Heritage Malta. [2]
The National Museum of Fine Arts, at the Admiralty House, was inaugurated by Minister of Education and Culture Agatha Barbara on 7 May 1974. [3]
In 2013, plans began to be made to move the museum from Admiralty House to Auberge d'Italie. [4] In September 2014, it was announced that the move will occur and the new museum would be called MUŻA (from the Maltese acronym Mużew Nazzjonali tal-Arti). [5] The museum at Admiralty House closed down on 2 October 2016, and the new museum opened in 2018 as one of the projects of Valletta's title of European Capital of Culture. [6]
The museum welcomed 30,000 patrons in 2012, and the relocation aimed to increase the number of visitors. [7]
MUŻA opened on 10 November 2018. [8]
The museum was housed at the Admiralty House, a palace in Valletta, originally built in the 16th century as a residence for the knight Fra Jean de Soubiran dit Arafat. The present building dates back to 1761–63, when it was reconstructed in the Baroque style for the Portuguese knight Fra Raimondo de Sousa y Silva. From 1821 to 1961, the building was the official residence of the Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet, hence the name Admiralty House. [9] [10]
Admiralty House is located at South Street in Valletta. Apart from the museum itself, the area contains several fine historical palaces dating from the times of the Order of St. John 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. [2]
The museum housed 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 permanent display included 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 in Valletta. This, together with a fine and rare collection of antique maps, represented one of the strengths of the collection.
The works of other artists on display included 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 were also on permanent display. [11]
The collection also included 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 (1775–1851) watercolour. Other works by Edward Lear (1812–1888), Louis Ducros (1748–1810) and local artists representing the same subject were also on display. [10]
The museum exhibited 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 Infermeria, the Hospital of the Order of St John. [12] Ecclesiastical silverware was also on display, including a rare fifteenth century chalice of Parisian workmanship.
The museum had a very active calendar of temporary exhibitions mainly by Maltese artists. Museum curated exhibitions have included the following:
Valletta is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157. As Malta’s capital city, it is a commercial centre for shopping, bars, dining, and café life. It is also the southernmost capital of Europe, and at just 0.61 square kilometres (0.24 sq mi), it is the European Union's smallest capital city.
Giuseppe Calì was a Maltese painter of Italian descent.
Antonio Sciortino was a Maltese artist, considered Malta's foremost sculptor of the twentieth century. His career unfolded almost entirely in Rome, where he resided from 1900 till 1936. Despite his stable residence in Rome, Sciortino maintained strong connections with Malta, where he was commissioned several public monuments, and where its bronzes where later acquired by the Fine Arts Museum.
The Auberge d'Aragon is an auberge in Valletta, Malta. It was built in 1571 to house knights of the Order of Saint John from the langue of Aragon, Navarre and Catalonia. It is the only surviving auberge in Valletta which retains its original Mannerist design by the architect Girolamo Cassar.
A langue or tongue was an administrative division of the Knights Hospitaller between 1319 and 1798. The term referred to a rough ethno-linguistic division of the geographical distribution of the Order's members and possessions. Each langue was subdivided into Priories or Grand Priories, Bailiwicks and Commanderies. Each langue had an auberge as its headquarters, some of which still survive in Rhodes, Birgu and Valletta.
Maltese architecture has its origins in prehistory, and some of the oldest free-standing structures on Earth – a series of megalithic temples – can be found on Malta. The islands were colonized by the Phoenicians and later the Romans, who established the cities of Melite and Gaulos. Although these were substantial settlements and are known to have had numerous temples, churches and palaces, few remains have survived apart from some architectural fragments.
This page list topics related to Malta.
The Auberge de Castille, historically in full known as the Auberge de Castille et Portugal, is an auberge in Valletta, Malta. The auberge is located at Castile Place, close to Saint James Cavalier, the Malta Stock Exchange, and the Upper Barrakka Gardens. It sits at the highest point of Valletta and overlooks Floriana and the Grand Harbour area.
The National Museum of Archaeology is a Maltese museum in Valletta, with artefacts from prehistory, Phoenician times and a notable numismatic collection. It is managed by Heritage Malta.
Auberge de Provence is an auberge in Valletta, Malta. It was built in the sixteenth century to house knights of the Order of Saint John from the langue of Provence. It now houses the National Museum of Archaeology.
The Auberge de Bavière is a palace in Valletta, Malta. It was built as Palazzo Carneiro in 1696, and was the residence of Grand Master Marc'Antonio Zondadari in the early 18th century. In 1784, it was converted into the auberge for the Anglo-Bavarian langue of the Order of Saint John, and remained so until the French occupation of Malta in 1798.
The Auberge d'Italie is an auberge in Valletta, Malta. It was built in various stages in the late 16th century to house knights of the Order of Saint John from the langue of Italy, and it originally had a Mannerist design by Girolamo Cassar and several other architects. The building continued to be modified throughout the course of the 17th century, with the last major renovation being carried out in the 1680s during the magistracy of Gregorio Carafa, giving the building a Baroque character.
The Auberge d'Italie was an auberge in Birgu, Malta. It was built in the sixteenth century to house knights of the Order of Saint John from the langue of Italy.
Palazzo Parisio, sometimes known as Casa Parisio, is a palace in Valletta, Malta. It was built in the 1740s by Domenico Sceberras, and eventually passed into the hands of the Muscati and Parisio Muscati families. It was Napoleon's residence for six days in June 1798, during the early days of the French occupation of Malta. The palace was eventually acquired by the de Piro family, and was later purchased by the Government of Malta. It was used as the General Post Office from 1886 to 1973, then the Ministry for Agriculture, and it now houses the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
Abstract painting is a 1998 abstract oil painting by Victor Pasmore.
The Malta Postal Museum is a postal museum in Valletta, Malta. It is run by the postal operator MaltaPost, and it was inaugurated on 17 June 2016. The museum is housed in a restored 20th-century townhouse in the centre of Valletta, close to the Grandmaster's Palace and the Church of Our Lady of Damascus.
Admiralty House, formerly known as Casa Miari, Palazzo Don Raimondo and by several other names, is a palace in Valletta, Malta. It was originally built in 1569–70 as two private houses by Fra Jean de Soubiran dit Arafat, a knight of the Order of St. John. The houses were later leased to various owners, including Fra Raimondo de Sousa y Silva, who rebuilt them a single residence between 1761 and 1763.
Andrea Belli was a Maltese architect and businessman. He designed several Baroque buildings, including Auberge de Castille in Valletta, which is now the Office of the Prime Minister of Malta.
Edward Caruana Dingli was a Maltese painter.
Les Gavroches is a bronze sculpture by Antonio Sciortino, depicting Parisian street children inspired by Gavroche from the 1862 Victor Hugo novel Les Misérables. The statue was cast in 1904, and for most of the 20th century it was displayed at the Upper Barrakka Gardens in Valletta, Malta. In 2000, the statue was restored and transferred to the National Museum of Fine Arts in the same city, and a replica was placed at the Upper Barrakka.