Joseph Calleia

From Little Italy to Little Things

by Alan Fenech

HARDBACK

The first title of this series is fittingly dedicated to the acclaimed Maltese character actor Joseph Calleia: From Little Italy to Little Things. The Hollywood actor’s unique and inimitable qualities are brought to the fore by Alan Fenech’s skilful delving into each and every character Joseph Calleia portrayed during his 57-film career spanning over three decades.

“We are pleased that there is finally a book on Joseph Calleia, and especially pleased that it is a scholarly analysis focusing on his representation of masculinity in gangster/ noir films…”

Prof. Saviour Catania and Prof. Gloria Lauri Lucente University of Malta

“Joseph Calleia is an inspirational story … a Maltese actor who succeeded beyond Malta. From his humble beginnings in Rabat, he went on to pursue an acting international career… Calleia reminds us that no goal is unattainable and no dream impossible…”

Johann Grech Malta Film Commissioner CEO Malta Film Studios

Order

Scan

A Dominican of the Province of Malta, Fr Marius, as he was affectionately known even within the arts scene in Malta, certainly left his indelible mark as curator, lecturer, critic and conservator. As curator of the Fine Arts Section (1970-81), he was crucial for the setting up of the National Museum of Fine Arts in 1974. With his avant-garde approach, he empowered the young upcoming Maltese artists with a platform to exhibit their work.

He is undoubtedly mostly remembered for his involvement in the recovery of Caravaggio’s St Jerome, when it was stolen from St John’s Co-Cathedral in 1984. As director of the Museums Department, and with his expertise on Italian Art including the famous artist’s works, following tactful negotiations the painting was returned to its rightful place – a story which he later documented in the Caravaggio Diaries.

During his career as a distinguished art academic, Fr Marius has a number of publications to his name and was awarded the MSA’s prestigious Gold Medal in 2011. He also inaugurated a number of museums focusing on less appreciated aspects of our Cultural Heritage, for which we certainly owe him much. He passed away on Sunday, 23 October 2022, at the venerable age of 93. Flags at all Heritage Malta museums and sites were flown at half-mast as a sign of respect. On Tuesday, 25 October, Fr Marius was laid in state at the Convent of Jesus of Nazareth, Sliema, and following requiem mass at the Parish Church of Jesus of Nazareth, he was interred at the Santa Maria Addolorata Cemetery.

Frá John Edward Critien (1949-2022)

Knight Resident at Fort St Angelo (2000-2022)

Frá John Edward Critien was born in Sliema on 29 September 1949. Following his education in Malta, he pursued his studies in Italy, where he lived in Pisa for 22 years. During his time in Italy, Frá John was involved in voluntary work with the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (the Order of St John). In 1983, he was inducted into the Order as a knight of the third class in the Grand Priory of Rome. In 1993, he was elevated to a Knight of Justice when he took perpetual religious vows. In 1994, he was elected for his first five-year term within the Order’s Sovereign Council. He was further entrusted with curating the library, archives, and art collections of the Order. In 2001, Frá John was promoted to Knight Grand Cross and re-elected in the Sovereign Council in 2009. In 2012 he achieved the rank of Bailiff Grand Cross of Justice, the first Maltese ever to reach this position within the Order. Following his re-election in the Sovereign Council in 2014, for a short period in 2016-17, he served as Grand Chancellor ad interim of the Order. On 28 August 2022, he was selected as the Grand Prior of Rome, an office he kept until his death on 3 December 2022.

In 2000, Frá John was appointed Knight Resident Fort St Angelo responsible for the administration and embellishment of the upper area of the fort. Following Heritage Malta’s entrustment of other parts of the fort in 2007, a long and trusting relationship with Frá John evolved. Ever so keen to collaborate with the Agency, Frá John was instrumental in several projects, including the restoration of the fort’s ship-mast in 2019 and the opening of Upper Fort St Angelo to daily visitors in the same year. His enthusiasm was continuous, with other plans being formulated with Heritage Malta right until his passing. His care and commitment to this historic site will surely be remembered for generations to come.

The Contributors

ABELA Ruben is a graduated architect and civil engineer (University of Malta, 1992) specialising in Land-use Planning and Urban Design. He also obtained a Post-Graduate Diploma in Environmental Management (1995) and an MSc in Conservation Technology (1997). Between 1992 and 2006, he was employed by the Planning Authority, later MEPA, and served in managerial positions in Development Control and Enforcement Units. Since 2006, Perit Abela has held the post of manager at Heritage Malta, save for a 1-year period (2016-17), when he was appointed CEO for the newly set up Environment and Resources Authority. His most important responsibility to date was when he lead the European Regional Development funded project of the conservation and restoration of Fort St Angelo.

AQUILINA James is a Heritage Malta Senior Finance Executive focusing on revenue and analytics. He obtained his degree in Economics from University of Malta and is currently reading a degree in Taxation with the Malta Institute of Taxation. On joining Birdlife Malta (2013), he followed a training course on ringing wild birds with leading local ornithologists, obtaining his licence by October 2016. Over the last eight years, he conducted extensive ornithological research in various locations south of the Maltese Islands. Aquilina is also an avid bird photographer.

BUĠEJA David Frank is a warranted conservator-restorer of paintings and polychrome sculpture. He obtained the Bachelor of Conservation and Restoration Studies (Honours) in 2003 and Master in Applied Conservation in 2007 from the University of Malta. Buġeja is a Principal Conservator at Heritage Malta and, apart from interventive treatments, his interests are mainly related to preventive conservation, particularly in passively stabilising the moisture content of easel paintings.

BUHAGIAR Janica is a curator at Heritage Malta with a background in the history of art. She obtained a BA (Hons) degree in History of Art from the University of Malta in 2010, followed by a Master’s degree in History of Art in 2013, and a Masters in Museum Education in 2022. Her areas of research expertise include dark tourism, esotericism, and funerary art and architecture. She currently holds the position of Curator for Phoenician, Roman & Medieval sites.

CASSAR Robert, Curator at the Palace Armoury at the Grand Master’s Palace in Valletta and member of ICOMAM, the International Committee for Museums of Arms and Military History. He is also an Art Historian and Conservator with a specialisation in metal works of art, arms and armour. He is also an active member in the Domus Pauli Museum in Valletta.

COERTZE Nick obtained a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology from the University of Portsmouth, having further worked as a dive instructor and scientific diver on a variety of projects. Coertze joined Heritage Malta’s Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit (UCHU) as a Coordinator, focusing on marine life found on and around Malta’s historic wreck sites.

DIMECH Joanne is a warranted conservator/restorer in ceramics, metals, glass and stone, and is part of the Inorganics Department within Heritage Malta. In 2009 she attained a BCons (Hons) in conservation and restoration. She worked as a conservator/restorer in the private sector and has been working with Heritage Malta since 2010. Dimech’s responsibility involves working on the numerous artefacts and sites under the remit of Heritage Malta.

FENECH (née Micallef) Maria is an archivist at Heritage Malta. She holds a BA in History and International Relations, a post-graduate Diploma in Hospitaller Studies, and a Diploma in Archives and Records Management from the University of Malta. She is also a licensed tourist guide. For the past few years, Fenech has been working on the cataloguing of the archives of the National War Museum, focusing on raising awareness of the existence of this resource and accessibility.

GAMBIN Timothy is an Associate Professor of Maritime Archaeology in the Department of Classics and Archaeology at the University of Malta, where he obtained a BA in History. Professor Gambin went on to attain an MA in Maritime Archaeology and History at the University of Bristol and later a doctorate in Maritime Archaeology. Since 2019, Professor Gambin heads Heritage Malta’s newly established Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit.

HILI MICALLEF Joanna is a conservator-restorer of paintings and polychrome sculptures. Since obtaining her conservation degree from the University of Malta, she worked on several projects including wall paintings and easel paintings. Between 2015 and 2019 she worked, in collaboration with Heritage Malta, on the conservation of seventeen paintings painted in Mexico in the 18th century by Juan Patricio Morlete Ruiz. She currently works as a conservatorrestorer with Heritage Malta.

LICARI James is a conservatorrestorer of ceramics, glass, metals, stone and composite materials at Heritage Malta, holding a BCons (Hons) in conservation-restoration and an MA in Cultural Heritage Management (University of Malta). Licari is President of the Malta Association of Professional Conservator-Restorers (MAPCo-Re) since 2007, is an active committee member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM-Malta) and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS-Malta). He has been dynamically involved in various public and private conservation projects in Malta and abroad, and authored various studies on conservation-restoration.

MICALLEF Katya Principal Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at MUŻA, Heritage Malta is a doctorate graduate from Kingston University London. She also holds a Master’s in History of Art and a Bachelor of Arts, for which she conducted research on Victor Pasmore. Her specialization is post 1945 Visual Arts to present day, and has contributed in various research publications. Dr Micallef is a visiting lecturer at the University of Malta and has held the position of senior lecturer at MCAST Institute of Art and Design.

The Contributors

SAUSMEKAT Maja obtained her MA in Archaeological Practice at the University of Malta where she also read for a Bachelor of Arts in Archaeology. Sausmekat joined Heritage Malta in 2019 and is the Principal Officer for the Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit (UCHU).

SULTANA Sharon is the Senior Curator of the National Museum of Archaeology. Upon her graduation from the University of Malta in 1995 with a first degree in Archaeology, she started her career at the National Museum of Archaeology. She is particularly interested in attracting and retaining diverse audiences by facilitating access to the collections both on a physical and intellectual level. She has also curated a number of exhibitions, both locally and overseas.

VELLA Fiona is Principal Officer at Heritage Malta. She holds a BA in Archaeology and Anthropology, and an MA in Film Studies from the University of Malta. A renowned writer in Maltese and English, her works are extensively published both in local print and online media. Her research and writing have also contributed to several local socio-cultural TV programs. Vella has authored the two volumes of Disappearing Malta: Crafts, Trades & Traditions, 360° (2016, 2017) and coauthored Bizarre Malta (2018).

VELLA Rachel is a conservator at Heritage Malta, specialising in paintings on canvas and wood. She read for an undergraduate degree in Art History from the University of Malta (20142017), and furthered her studies during a Master’s degree in the Conservation of Fine Arts from Northumbria University (2018-2020). Vella has since been entrusted with the treatment of various valuable artefacts, among which are Modern artworks demanding the application of novel approaches within the field of conservation.