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The Modern and Contemporary visual art collection within MUŻA is made up of various artefacts that range from painting, sculpture, video art, installations and photography. Key works started coming together in the collection following several important donations, but nonetheless, lacunae in the story of modern and contemporary art in Malta were and are still evident. In view of this situation, a substantial part of the Contemporary Fund, managed by Heritage Malta in 2010, was allocated to address such lacunae through the acquisition of additional artworks.

There are instances when key works are not in the possession of artists and their families, so the curatorial team within Heritage Malta will be on the look out of any possible sale which can be from a private collection and later be sold through an auction. This has happened recently in 2022.

The curatorial team was informed that a private collector, who had befriended several key artists, would be selling his 30-year-old collection due to personal reasons. The sale was going to take place through a local auction house that started promoting such sale just after summer. The curators responsible had to research and check which works within this private collection could fill the lacunas within the National Collection of Malta. This lengthy process has to be summoned through justifications that would give Heritage Malta the ‘right of preference’ that is exercised by the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage.

On the day of the auction, which was held in November, Heritage Malta’s representatives used the ‘right of preference’ on two works, Giorgio Preca’s (1909 – 1984) Bozzetto for Crucifixion and Antoine Camilleri’s (19222005) lino print representing St Francis.

Details from the paintings: Left: St Francis by Antoine Camilleri, and Right: Crucifixion of Giorgio Preca