MUŻA is an

art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own Collection (artwork), collection. It might be in public or private ownership, be accessible to all, or have restrictions in place. Although ...

located at

Auberge d'Italie 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 Girolam ...

Valletta Valletta ( ; , ) is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 Local councils of Malta, 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 ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

. It was formerly located at Admiralty House between 1974 and 2016, when it was known as the National Museum of Fine Arts (). 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 British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between ...

. 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 Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Maltese ...

acronym ''Mużew Nazzjonali tal-Arti''), located at Auberge d’Italie in Valletta.

History

National collection prior to 1974

Its collection had previously formed part of the National Museum at

Auberge de Provence Auberge de Provence (Maltese language, Maltese: ''Berġa ta' Provenza'') is an auberge in Valletta, Malta. It was built in the sixteenth century to house knights of the Knights Hospitaller, Order of Saint John from the Langue (Knights Hospital ...

. 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 Heritage Malta () is the Maltese national agency for museums, conservation practice and cultural heritage. Created by the Cultural Heritage Act, enacted in 2002, the national agency (along with the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage) replaced ...

National Museum of Fine Arts (1974–2016)

The National Museum of Fine Arts, at the Admiralty House, was inaugurated by Minister of Education and Culture

Agatha Barbara Agatha Barbara, (11 March 1923 – 4 February 2002) was a Maltese politician, having served as a Labour Member of Parliament and Minister. She was the first woman to serve as president of Malta, and remains the longest-serving woman Membe ...

on 7 May 1974. In 2013, plans began to be made to move the museum from Admiralty House to

. In September 2014, it was announced that the move will occur and the new museum would be called ''MUŻA'' (from the

acronym ''Mużew Nazzjonali tal-Arti''). 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 A European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union (EU) for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong pan-European dimension. Being a European Capital of Culture can ...

. The museum welcomed 30,000 patrons in 2012, and the relocation aimed to increase the number of visitors.

MUŻA (since 2018)

MUŻA opened on 10 November 2018.

Location

The museum was housed at the Admiralty House, a palace in

, 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 The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

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

, hence the name ''Admiralty House''. 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 The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there u ...

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.

Collections

Fine arts

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 London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. 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

artist

Mattia Preti Mattia Preti (24 February 1613 – 3 January 1699) was an Italian Baroque artist who worked in Italy and Malta. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Saint John. Life Born in the small town of Taverna in Calabria, Preti was called ''Il Ca ...

(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 Guido Reni (; 4 November 1575 – 18 August 1642) was an Italian Baroque painter, although his works showed a classical manner, similar to Simon Vouet, Nicolas Poussin, and Philippe de Champaigne. He painted primarily religious works, but al ...

(1575–1642), the

Caravaggisti The Caravaggisti (or the "Caravagesques"; singular: "Caravaggista") were stylistic followers of the late 16th-century Italian Baroque painter Caravaggio. His influence on the new Baroque style that eventually emerged from Mannerism was profound. ...

Valentin de Boulogne Valentin de Boulogne (before 3 January 1591 – 19 August 1632), sometimes referred to as Le Valentin, was a French painter in the tenebrist style. Origins Valentin was born in Coulommiers, France, where he was baptised in the parish of Sai ...

(1591–1632),

Giuseppe Ribera Jusepe de Ribera (; baptised 17 February 1591 – 3 November 1652) was a Spanish painter and printmaker. Ribera, Francisco de Zurbarán, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, and the singular Diego Velázquez, are regarded as the major artists of Spanis ...

(1591–1662) and

Matthias Stom Matthias Stom or Matthias Stomer ( – after 1652) was a Dutch people, Dutch, or possibly Flemish people, Flemish, Painting, painter who is only known for the works he produced during his residence in Italy. He was influenced by the work of non-I ...

(1600–1652), as well as

Carlo Maratta Carlo Maratta or Maratti (18 May 162515 December 1713) was an Italian Baroque painter and Drawing, draughtsman, active principallly in Rome where he was the leading painter in the second half of the 17th century. He was a fresco and canvas painte ...

(1625–1713) and

Bernardo Strozzi Bernardo Strozzi, named il Cappuccino and il Prete Genovese (c. 1581 – 2 August 1644), was an Italian Baroque painter and engraver. A canvas and fresco artist, his wide subject range included History painting, history, Allegory, allegorica ...

(1581–1644). Works by Dutch, French and British artists were also on permanent display. The collection also included the works of two outstanding Maltese sculptors,

Melchiorre Gafà Melchiorre may refer to: As first name *Melchiorre Cafà (1636–1667), Maltese sculptor *Melchiore Cesarotti (1730–1808), Italian poet *Melchiorre Delfico (caricaturist) (1825–1895), Italian caricaturist *Melchiorre Delfico (economist) (1744� ...

(1636–1667) and

Antonio Sciortino Antonio Sciortino (Ħaż-Żebbuġ; 25 January 1879 – 10 August 1947) was a Malta, Maltese artist, considered Malta's foremost sculpture, sculptor of the twentieth century. His career unfolded almost entirely in Rome, where he resided from 1900 ...

(1879–1947), and a noteworthy group of Maltese landscapes. The

Grand Harbour The Grand Harbour (; ), also known as the Port of Marsa, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been substantially modified over the years with extensive docks ( Malta Dockyard), wharves, and fortifications. Description The h ...

of Malta and its environs is the subject of a

Joseph Mallord William Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbu ...

(1775–1851) watercolour. Other works by

Edward Lear Edward Lear (12 May 1812 – 29 January 1888) was an English artist, illustrator, musician, author and poet, who is known mostly for his literary nonsense in poetry and prose and especially his limerick (poetry), limericks, a form he popularised. ...

(1812–1888), Louis Ducros (1748–1810) and local artists representing the same subject were also on display.

Furniture and silverware

The museum exhibited a collection of Maltese furniture and silverware, as well as

majolica In different periods of time and in different countries, the term ''majolica'' has been used for two distinct types of pottery. Firstly, from the mid-15th century onwards, ''maiolica'' was a type of pottery reaching Italy from Spain, Majorca a ...

jars mainly of Sicilian production. Many of the jars were in use at the Sacra Infermeria, the Hospital of the Order of St John. Ecclesiastical silverware was also on display, including a rare fifteenth century

chalice A chalice (from Latin 'cup', taken from the Ancient Greek () 'cup') is a drinking cup raised on a stem with a foot or base. Although it is a technical archaeological term, in modern parlance the word is now used almost exclusively for the ...

of Parisian workmanship.

Temporary exhibitions

The museum had a very active calendar of temporary exhibitions mainly by Maltese artists. Museum curated exhibitions have included the following: *''Postage Stamp Artwork: Emvin Cremona (1919–1987) – Shaping a Modern Identity in Malta’s Philatelic Heritage'' (September–October 2010) showed original stamp artwork and graphic designs produced by

Emvin Cremona Emanuel Vincent "Emvin" Cremona (27 May 1919 – 29 January 1987) was a Maltese artist and stamp designer. He was as one of Malta's leading artists of the 20th century, and a pioneer of modernism in Malta. Cremona is known for designing most Ma ...

, most of which were put on display for the first time. *''Pictures of the Floating World – Ukiyo-e Prints from the National Collection'' (December 2009) exhibited original Japanese

Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art that flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock printing, woodblock prints and Nikuhitsu-ga, paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes ...

from the national collection. *''Victor Pasmore in Malta'' (December 2008 – January 2009) exhibited abstract works by the international British artist

Victor Pasmore Edwin John Victor Pasmore, Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour, CH, CBE (3 December 190823 January 1998) was a British artist. He pioneered the development of abstract art in Britain in the 1940s and 1950s. Early life Pasmore was bo ...

from the museum collection and the

Central Bank of Malta The Central Bank of Malta () is the Maltese national central bank for Malta within the Eurosystem. It was the Maltese central bank from 1968 to 2007, issuing the Maltese lira. Since 2014, it has also been Malta's national competent authority wi ...

collection. *''The Maria Pasani Bequest'' (January – March 2008) exhibited eleven paintings by the Maltese artist Lazzaro Pisani donated by his daughter, Maria Pasani.

References

External links

Official website
* {{Authority control Museums in Valletta Art museums and galleries in Malta MUZA, Malta Art museums and galleries established in 2018 2018 establishments in Malta Sites managed by Heritage Malta