from the Editor

The cultural life of the Maltese Islands still persists in its determination of being everything, and the opposite of everything, at the same time. Undeniably creative and vibrant in many aspects—music, theatre, arts, conservation, entertainment, literature, the hospitality industry, the Islands remain, just as ruthlessly, destructive in too many others, most significantly in the protection of nature and in the respect for the built environment.

Fully paid-up membership in the demolition-on-steroids brigade is hardly sanitised by the token salvage of some bitty façades of appreciable antique architecture. If anything, this sad resort to hollow façadism only makes the malaise appear more barbaric and painful.

After recently celebrating its thirtieth birthday anniversary, Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti perseveres stoically in the pursuit of its founding objectives. Part of its energies and resources are at present being channelled towards the radical restructuring of the palazzina on St Paul’s Street, Valletta, destined to serve in the immediate future as its office and public exhibition space. It was a marathon, now hopefully in sight of the finishing post.

The new headquarters will be inaugurated with an ambitious, meaningful, and unusual exhibition, In Search of Line, on which we have been working since we took down our last major project: Music in Malta – From Prehistory to Vinyl, hosted in the lovely spaces of the Mdina Cathedral Museum.

This rich display will not come on its own. Like all other previous exhibitions, it will be accompanied by a lavish book-catalogue which will enrich and preserve for the future the visitor’s viewing experience. Exhibitions remain essentially transient events, they come and go. Their catalogues outlive them by far.

The podcast series Treasures from Malta, run on behalf of our Foundation by Francesca Balzan, widens its circle of adepts. She captures leading stars in the cultural firmament of the island by throwing at them intriguing and challenging inquisitiveness. The series has been hosted on radio by Campus FM and has also been taken up by Air Malta in their inflight entertainment system. A new podcast series is in the making, thumbnails of lives and of achievements closeted but for the perseverance of our gifted interviewer, who we will miss sorely when she moves to pastures new.

Our collaboration with Kite group, apart from the present tri-annual magazine, will soon bear its first fruit—the publication of Theresa Vella’s lifelong research on the collections, and the collection manias, of the Knights of Malta. The volume Splendour & Devotion: The Art Collections of the Order of St John has now made it to all local bookstores, to the most lavish standards of production, in contents, imaging, and display.

This will be followed by a new series which will bring together the latest history and art history research that I had carried out and published in local newspapers. Packaged in a different format, this novel cycle of volumes hopes to outdo the popularity of the classic series Histories of Malta of which twelve volumes were successfully published. There will no longer be a need to rummage in old newspaper cuttings for discoveries, juicy narratives, and amazing stories. They will all be neatly housed between two covers. Other intriguing books by Vicki Ann Cremona, by Michael Frendo, and by Charlie Cauchi, are elbowing their way in the pipeline too.

Meanwhile, Palazzo Falson is in full swing, what with Music and Poetry evenings, its EduFun activities which teach children how to learn and play, its programmes now being extended to schools too. Funds have been gratefully allocated by GAL Majjistral Action Group for the restoration of some paintings preserved in the Olof Gollcher studio.

All in all, it promises to be an exciting year ahead.

Treasures of Malta is published three times a year, at Christmas, Easter and in the Summer

General Editor: Giovanni Bonello

Senior Editor: Giulia Privitelli

Creative Director: Michael Lowell

Publisher / Editorial Office

Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti

63, Old Mint Street, Valletta VLT 1518, Malta tel: (356) 21228145 / (356) 21231515 email: giovannibonello@patrimonju.org / info@patrimonju.org / publish@patrimonju.org www.patrimonju.org

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Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti

VO/1762

Conseil d’Honneur

His Excellency the President, Dr George Vella

The Hon. Prime Minister, Dr Robert Abela

His Grace the Archbishop, Mgr Charles J. Scicluna

Hon. President

The Hon. Dr Owen Bonnici

Minister for National Heritage, the Arts, and Local Government

Hon. Life Founder President

Dr Michael Frendo

Life Founder Members

Rita Flamini, the late Maurice de Giorgio

Founder Members

John Lowell, the late John Manduca

Nicholas de Piro

Board of Governors

Joseph Grioli, Chairman

Giovanni Bonello, Deputy Chairman

Joseph V. Bannister

Pascal A. Demajo

Max Ganado

Michael Grech

Matthew von Brockdorff

Michael Lowell, Chief Executive Officer

Francesca Balzan, Senior Executive

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

Associates

Benefactors

THE MARTIN LAING FOUNDATION

Corporate Supporters

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

Personal Supporters

Mr & Mrs Andrew Hamish Forsyth

Patrons

Simon Abrahams & Francesca Del Rio

Mr & Mrs Neville Agius

Baroness Apap Bologna Sceberras D’Amico lnguanez

Simon & Annabelle Ellul Sullivan

Atlas Insurance – Mr Matthew von Brockdorf

CamilleriParis Mode – Mr Paul Camilleri

Eden Leisure Group – Mr Ian De Cesare

Eyetech Ltd – Mr Patrick Cutajar

Forestals Group of Companies – Mr Tancred Tabone

GasanMamo Insurance Ltd – Mr Julian Mamo

Gianpula – Dr Roger de Giorgio

Good Earth Distributors Ltd – Mr Matthew de Giorgio

GVZH Advocates – Dr Michael Grech

IIG Bank (Malta) Ltd – Mr Raymond Busuttil

Joinwell – Mr Sebastian de Giorgio

Kite Group Limited – Mr Gordon Pisani

Lombard Bank Malta plc – Mr Joseph Said

Mapfre Middlesea plc – Mr Martin Galea

Mrs Janatha Stubbs

Mr Andrew Norman Vincenti

Personal Corporate

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 Sofware Limited – Ms Yasmin de Giorgio

Sigma Coatings (Malta) Ltd – Mr Anthony Critien

Te Alfred Mizzi Foundation – Mr Julian Sammut

Te Gasan Foundation – Ms Sarah Gasan

Tug Malta Ltd – Mr John E. Sullivan

Virtù Steamship Co. Ltd – Mr Charles A. Portelli

Water Services Corporation – Mr Karl Cilia

(As at time of going to press)