FPM Year in Review 2023

a year in review

2023

Introduction

This year was primarily marked by FPM’s move to its new home at APS HOUSE, 275 St Paul Street, Valletta. The palazzo underwent a complete overhaul - a full renovation of the building with the addition of state-of-the-art museum lightening and security systems. Aside from the administrative offices, the building will house the permanent collection of Victor Pasmore that will be set up early next year. Other areas of the gallery will host rotating exhibitions showcasing the work of Malta’s most significant 20th century artists, and other events such as lectures, book launches and so forth. This has only been possible after an agreement was reached with APS Bank, a long-time supporter of Malta’s heritage, for use of their former head office. The generous financial contribution of the Malta Airport Foundation was also dedicated to the restoration and renovation of the Victor Pasmore Gallery.

A new website for the gallery was launched in March and the new premises opened in September with the exhibition In Search of Line that had been 3 years in the making. The exhibition, that shows a selection of Maltese modern masters as well as some by Pasmore himself, was well attended and has in fact been extended into 2024.

In November, the Notarial Registers Archive Museum, designed by FPM, was inaugurated together with the EU funded project of the rehabilitation of the Notarial Registers Archive (NRA). Our readers will

recall that in 2020 Patrimonju Museum Operators Ltd successfully concluded the tender for the services of a Museum Development Consultant at the NRA,Valletta which had commenced in 2018. This tender focused primarily on the design of a Museum for the NRA, together with a long-term plan for the running of this museum.

Our publications department saw the well-loved Treasures of Malta published 3 times a year as well as Theresa Vella’s book S plendour and Devotion: The Art Collections of the Order of St John that was published in April to much acclaim. Our podcast series that many avid listeners greatly looked forward to, came to an end in March after 4 entertaining seasons of interesting guests interviewed by Francesca Balzan.

Palazzo Falson was a winner of the Experts Choice Award 2023 which represents the world’s best hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions. Throughout the year they organised tours, lectures and events open to the public as well as a series of workshops for children. Six international interns worked in the museum over the year digitizing archives, museum hosting and so forth.Various research projects were completed and more of the museum’s paintings were restored.

2023 has been an extremely eventful year for us and we are looking forward to carrying this momentum into 2024. Our heartfelt gratitude goes to all our supporters who make this possible.

Joe Grioli Chairman

January - March

As the renovation and restructuring works at APS House began, a website for the new Victor Pasmore Gallery was launched, giving the history of the Pasmore collection, the local 20th century artists, as well as information on future projects.

Our podcast series Treasures from Malta hosted by Francesca Balzan came to an end once season 4 was completed. These casual, entertaining conversations with some of Malta’s most creative people were also broadcast of Campus FM radio station and may be re-listened to from our website.

discovered and researched by Giovanni Bonello.

Hanneke Jensen, a research volunteer at Palazzo Falson also discovered a photograph from

The first of these is In Search of Line, an exhibition project that will open at the new space in September. As part of this project, a collaboration with Florinda Camilleri, Niels Plotard and Andew Schembri brought about Moving in Lines: Mapping Affective Geometries. This live composition performance of movement, light and sound took place at the Casino Maltese.

A number of academic research projects from Palazzo Falson were published this year. Robert Caccialanza, an independent researcher and historian from Cremona, Italy published a series of Storie di Fotografi that include a rare photo of Giuseppe Garibaldi from the Gollcher Collection, taken by photographer Stefano Lecchi in 1864. This photo was originally

the Gollcher Archives, this time of an airplane with folded wings on board a steamer during WW1. Her article has been published by the Fleet Air Arm Museum, UK.

The curator of Credito Emiliano Art Collections in Reggio Emilia, Odette D’Albo, published an article titled Giacomo del Po and Corrado Giaquinto in Malta: new attributions for the paintings at Palazzo Falson. Here she attributes the Four Seasons paintings in Gollcher’s collection to Corrado Giaquinto confirming the previous attribution by Nichaolas de Gaetano.

April - June

This was a busy time for our publishing team as work on the exhibition catalogue In Search of Line drew to a close. This publication features essays by prominent artists, philosophers, renowned and upcoming art writers, including Sarah Chircop, Matthew Attard, Robert Brewer Young,Vince Briffa, Richard England, Giulia Privitelli, and Michael Zammit.

Theresa Vella’s anticipated book, Splendor and Devotion: The Art Collections of the Order of St John was published, with a book launch held at the Casino Maltese.Vella’s meticulous research into a rich body of source material, especially inventories, wills, and correspondence, draws the

reader into what it was about the Knights’ experience that was distinctive and specific to them, while also placing them in the larger framework of European elite culture.

museum news, research and history for easy reference. In June the Palazzo welcomed Suzanne Smith, Emmy Award

winning casting director working in the UK on film and television, who enjoyed a guided tour of the museum.

The first of the years issues of Treasures of Malta was published in April in time for Easter.

We were delighted to hear that Caroline Tonna’s book Society and Fashion in Malta: The Portrait Photography of Leandro Preziosi (1830-1860) published by FPM was shortlisted for the National Book Prize in the category of Biographical and Historiographic Research.

Palazzo Falson launched a brand new website bringing together

A) At the book launch of Theresa Vella's publication Splendour and Devotion: The Art Collections of the Order of St John

B) At Palazzo Falson with Emmy Award winning casting director Suzanne Smith

C) Olof Gollcher's studio newly restored at Palazzo Falson

D) Treasures from Malta: Conversations with Fran Balzan. An FPM podcast.

E) At the inauguration of In Search of Line with the Pasmore family

F) Restored artworks being returned to Palazzo Falson

G) Caroline Tonna receiving the award for Best Book Production for Society Fashion in Malta: the Portrait Photography of Leandro Preziosi (1830-1860)

July - September

In summer, FPM finally relocated to the new premises in St Paul Street. Months of hard labour transformed the palazzo into a new home for the Pasmore collection, our administrative offices and further gallery space for temporary exhibitions. On site, the design for the exhibition In Search of Line was finalised and executed and all exhibits were collected. The exhibition finally opened on the 30 September with the Pasmore family in attendance.

Designed by Michael Lowell and curated by Sarah Chircop, In Search of Line explores the nature and manifestation of the line through the works of the Maltese modern masters and

some works by Pasmore himself. The summer issue of Treasures of Malta was published and available to purchase online and in stores.

All the paintings and lithographs from Palazzo Falson that underwent restoration at Atelier del Restauro were returned and are now on display in the newly refurbished studio of the museum. This was made possible through the funding of the LEADER program and the Gollcher Foundation, supported also by the Majjistral Action Group Foundation.

October - December

Exhibition tours of In Search of Line were introduced weekly on Wednesdays and monthly on Thursday evening. We welcomed a visit from H.E the President of Malta, George Vella who was shown around the exhibition whilst visiting FPM’s new premises.

Two informal discussions entitled Lines of Thought were organised by the VP Gallery, whereby catalogue authors Matthew Attard,Vince Briffa, Giulia Privitelli and Michael Zammit came together to discuss different aspects of the exhibition. The EGS with whom FPM collaborated last year on the event The Musical Line, delivered two lecture/ performances loosely inspired

by the In Search of Line project. These were La Mer – a performance of Schubert, workshop and demonstration, and The Line and the Sea – a lecture and musical performance.

The Notarial Registers Archive Museum, designed by FPM after successfully concluding a tender back in 2020, was inaugurated in November. FPM was responsible for the design of a Museum for the NRA, together with a long-term plan for the running of this museum. In addition, a marketing plan, the creation of a logo and branding for the various entities within the Notarial Archives, photography of the ongoing transformation of the buildings housing the Archives, the

production of a book and the design of souvenirs for the new museum. The NRA Museum is now open to the public.

Palazzo Falson was proud to be a winner of the Experts Choice Awards 2023. The historic house museum welcomed Rebecca Raven, curator of the Museum of the Venerable Order of St

John, Clerkenwell for a special tour of the museum.

In November a selection of archaeological items from the Gollcher Collection at Palazzo Falson were on display alongside the artistic work of Rebecca Bonaci in her exhibition ĠUF curated by Sarah Chircop at Spazju Kreattiv.

Our publications continue to make us proud with Society and Fashion in Malta: The Portrait Photography of Leandro Preziosi (1830-1860) by Caroline Tonna winning the Best Book Production award at the National Book Prize.

compiled by Caroline Tonna and Francecsa Balzan, dealing with the art and life of Gollcher as an artist himself.

The final issue for the year of Treasures of Malta was published and was available in time for Christmas.

A publication titled Olof Gollcher – Art and Heart was

Once In Search of Line comes to an end in March, the focus will be on reassembling the Victor Pasmore collection in it's new home at APS House, St Paul Street. Some additional works from the reserve collection will be added to the display and a new catalogue is being printed.

FPM will also be kicking off a new series of exhibitions at Palazzo Falson this Spring.

Curious Beauty: An Alternative Costume Exhibition will feature historic costume and accessories from the State, Church and important private collections, and will be displayed in contemporary art installations against the backdrop of the beautifully evocative medieval Palazzo.

There are also some publications in the pipeline for this year. Aside from the quarterly Treasures of Malta, Giovanni Bonello is back with More Histories I - An Anthology of Crime in Malta, whilst Charlie Cauchi is working on a publication on the history of film in Malta that will explore Malta's relationship to cinema.

School Visits to Palazzo Falson

This year, students from San Anton school, Santa Venera Primary, St Martin’s College, St Theresa College B’Kara, Newark in Malta School, St Dorothy Zebbug, St Nicholas Rabat and students from the National Sports School visited Palazzo Falson for an educational guided tour around the historic house museum.

The third year History of Art students from the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Malta completed their museum placement between March and May whilst 3rd year History of Art students from the Department of Art and Art History visited Palazzo Falson for a special tour with a focus on the

museum from a curatorial point of view.

Universita’ tat- Terza Eta' also visited Palazzo Falson for an educational guided tour around the museum and 8 MCAST students following the Cultural Heritage Skills Advance Diploma visited Palazzo Falson with their lecturer who gave them an educational guided tour. In December students from the University of Malta following the Museum Studies course under the tutorship of Dr Sandro Debono visited Palazzo Falson as a case study for their course. Their visit included a specialised tour by the Museum Manager focusing on the identity of the museum, the taste in display of the collection and the narrative.

University students from The Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, USA visited Palazzo Falson for an educational guided tour around the historic house museum assisted by Dr Emanuel Buttigieg, Head of Department of History, and their professors Prof Steve Holland and Prof Krista Holland.

Children’s Workshops at Palazzo Falson

SPRING

In February children dressed up in costume and engaged with museum hosts to create their own masks for this Carnival Mask-Making workshop. The Framed Mirror Workshop took place in March and focused on Gollcher’s collection of antique mirrors. The children created their own mirrors inspired by this collection. April and May celebrated Spring where children learnt all about the rooftop pollinator and the lifecycle of a bee. Added to the fun was some honey tasting. Also in keeping with the theme of spring was the Floral Imprints Workshop where clay ornaments were imprinted with flowers collected from the pollinator.

SUMMER

The Introduction to Circular Economy for children took place in June. During the boat making workshop led by Emanuel Sammut from Atelier Manuel, children built their own boats from repurposed materials. In July,Valentina Lupo from Atelier del Restauro took the children on a conservator’s journey with the workshop titled Let’s be Conservators!

AUTUMN

The Photography Themed Workshop series took place from November until the end of the year. In the first session children assembled and decorated their own kaleidoscope and learnt about the evolution of the camera. The second series focused on the concept of studio photography and the importance of preserving photographs in museums. Children made their own mini lightbox and were shown Gollcher’s photos from the archives.

WINTER

In the final series of the Photography workshop that took place in December, children learnt about the evolution of photography focusing on the Camera Oscura, and its link with artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci. Children made their own pinhole camera and saw what happens in a dark room when photos are developed.

FONDAZZJONI PATRIMONJU MALTI

The Chairman and Board of Governors of Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti would like to thank the following donors for their support

ASSOCIATES

MR JEAN CLAUDE GANDUR

BENEFACTORS

CORPORATE SUPPORTERS

THE MARTIN LAING FOUNDATION

PERSONAL SUPPORTERS

Mr & Mrs Andrew Hamish Forsyth PATRONS

PERSONAL

Simon Abrahams & Francesca Del Rio

Mr Neville Agius & Dr Sabine Agius Cabourdin

Simon & Annabelle Ellul Sullivan

Mrs Janatha Stubbs

Mr Andrew Norman Vincenti

Antes Insurance Brokers Ltd – Mr Kevin Galea Pace

Aviaserve – Mr Kenneth De Martino

CamilleriParis Mode – Mr Paul Camilleri

Eden Leisure Group – Mr Ian De Cesare

Eyetech Ltd – Mr Patrick Cutajar

Forestals Group of Companies – Mr Tancred Tabone

Gianpula – Dr Roger de Giorgio

Good Earth Distributors Ltd – Mr Nikolai de Giorgio

GVZH Advocates – Dr Michael Grech

IIG Bank (Malta) Ltd – Mr Raymond Busuttil

John Ripard & Son (Shipping) – Mr Joseph Chetcuti

Joinwell – Mr Sebastian de Giorgio

Lombard Bank Malta plc – Mr Joseph Said

CORPORATE

Mapfre Middlesea plc – Mr Martin Galea

Miller Distributors Ltd – Mr Malcolm G. Miller

O. F. Gollcher and Sons Ltd – Mr Karl Gollcher

PwC – Mr David Valencia

RiskCap International Ltd – Dr Paul Magro

Rizzo, Farrugia & Co. (Stockbrokers) Ltd – Mr Vincent J. Rizzo

Satariano – Ms Natasha Chapelle Paleologo

Shireburn Software Limited – Ms Yasmin de Giorgio

Sigma Coatings (Malta) Ltd – Mr Anthony Critien

The Alfred Mizzi Foundation – Mr Julian Sammut

The Gasan Foundation – Ms Sarah Carbonaro

Tug Malta Ltd – Dr George Abela

Virtù Steamship Co. Ltd – Mr Charles A. Portelli