Books

This comprehensive study on the art of Maltese artist Noel Galea Bason regards a Bank of Valletta sponsored exhibition that took place between January 16 – February 25, 2024. The publication provides a detailed biographical synopsis and commentaries on each of the 84 exhibits. It also includes an analysis of his drawings, reliefs, medallions, sculptures and prestigious commissions together with an updated list of coins from 1977 to date. Noel Galea Bason (b.1955) found his niche at the Malta Mint at the Central Bank of Malta, becoming the first Maltese to design coins for his homeland since the departure of the Knights of St John. His impressive portfolio includes special commemorative creations presented to H.M. Queen Elizabeth II, Portuguese President Mario Suares, H.R.H. Juan Carlos, King of Spain, Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. His work is also found at the British Museum Coin Department in London, as well as at the Museo Dantesco Ravenna, and the Scuola Museo, where he studied in Rome (1975-78).

This study marks a fresh start, a new approach on how to study Antoine Camilleri.  It focuses on just one art work from 1982 which according to Cassar incapsulates the entire oeuvre of the artist.  It is a mature work, executed when the artist was 60 years old, and it refers and brings into focus several other key works by the artist that correlate with the content of this selected painting.  It is a work that the author experienced in the making and was involved in the several discussions he had with the artist regarding its main concepts.  This work is “PRAYER” executed in 1982, during a very prolific period in the artist’s entire career.  This publication is an intimate study of it, providing a closer more comprehensive look at its content, aiming at a better understanding and appreciation of the work by Antoine Camilleri.  This book was officially launched at MUZA on 24^th January 2024, published by Heritage Malta.

This handsome volume edited by Caroline Miggiani and Gabriel Zammit marks the Malta Society of Arts’s Centenary Celebrations. It brings together a collection of essays by various authors. Joseph Paul Cassar’s paper entitled: THE ROLE OF THE MALTA SOCIETY OF ARTS IN PROMOTING SACRED ART IN MALTA, is based on newly discovered documents at the archives of the Society dealing with early organised exhibitions focusing particularly on sacred art, such as the one held in 1945, inaugurated by His Excellency Lieutenant-General Sir Edmund C. A. Schreiber and Lady Schreiber, and blessed by the Metropolitan Archbishop His Grace Mgr Michael Gonzi. The study also offers a detailed analysis of Anton Inglott’s painting of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (1943), its history and is compared to its replacement by Emvin Cremona’s work of the same title in 1952. The discussion concludes with analysis of the promotion of recent acquisitions by the Society which continue to highlight sacred art, including a recent donation of a drawing by Josef Kalleya.

This second volume of Pioneers of Modern Art in Malta starts with the early 1960s and ends in 1980. It covers the impact of British Art on Maltese art and discusses the presence and influence of Victor Pasmore in Malta.  Other modern groups are highlighted within a spirit of renewal, such as Spectrum ’67, Vision’74 and the Artists’ Guild.  The 1970s are presented as years of experimentation complete with a critical analysis of major exhibitions of this time.

In modern European Sculpture
Critical Essays

Edited by Guiseppe Schembri Bonaci | Nikki Petroni

This book records conference papers delivered in 2017. It includes a paper submitted by Joseph Paul Cassar entitled “Josef Kalleya’s Unique Artistic Personality: Visionary, Mystic, Symbolist. An Authentic Phenomenon of Modern Expression”.

This publication includes a study that accompanied a special exhibition entitled: THE SPIRITUAL DIMENSION IN THE ART OF ANTOINE CAMILLERI by Joseph Paul Cassar. There is special reference to never published studies for religious works by Antoine Camilleri. The themes covered are the Crucifixion, Studies on St Francis of Assisi and various Church commissions.

Gutenberg Press Tarxien, Malta

This book is about the creative partnership between husband and wife: Lewis Wirth (1923-2010) and Helen née Cavarra (1926-1978). The study is a major contribution in completing a better understanding of art in Malta between the years 1945 and 1970. There is a special focus on Lewis’s art while he lived and worked in Libya, and a special section on Helen’s botanical flower studies indigenous of the Mediterranean Island of Malta.

Gutenberg Press, Tarxien, Malta

This book is the first comprehensive study on the art and life of Maltese artist George Fenech (1926-2011). Co-authored with Lino Borg it provides a critical analysis of key works in different genres tackled by the artist mainly: nudes, family, still-lifes, landscapes, townscapes and seascapes, portraits, prints and religious works. This is a richly illustrated publication with over 500 images complete with a detailed chronology and a selected bibliography.

edited by Sandro Debono, Heritage Malta

In this publication there is a study entitled: ART NOUVEAU ELEMENTS IN ANTONIO SCIORTINO’S SCULPTURE by Joseph Paul Cassar. It makes reference to key Sciortino works like: Rhytmi Vitae, Nina de Vetlina, Surprised, Christ the King Monument, The Tennis Player, and Courage of Future Generations. The publication covers, also, Maltese architecture and Art Nouveau elements in Malta and a study on Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939).

Pin, Malta

This is a unique, detailed comprehensive study of the beginnings and rise of Modern art in Malta in the second half of the twentieth century. It is a scholarly meticulously researched study with sound critical analysis that provides coherence, and a meaningful historical context to the Maltese Modern Art Movement. This is the first volume of a two-volume study, rich in photographic material and illustrations. This book is a benchmark study in Maltese art historical studies and winner of the Book Prize for Research in 2011.

Progress Press Malta

This book is about the art of Philip Chircop (1943-2019), a key figure of abstract painting in Malta. This study traces his determination from a young age to engage in the world of the visual arts, his innate talents and his rise and involvement in the struggle for modern expression in an island that favoured traditional and conservative thought and principles. The book has over 200 illustrations, a detailed chronology and a list of personal and collective exhibitions. The book is in English with an Italian translation.

Midsea Publications, A BOV Publication, Malta

This comprehensive study on the art of Maltese artist Caesar Attard regards a Bank of Valletta sponsored exhibition that took place between June 21-July 31, 2008. The publication provides a detailed biographical synopsis and commentaries on each of the 76 exhibits. It also includes a selected bibliography on the artist. This remains the most comprehensive study to date on the art of Caesar Attard.

Midsea Publications, Malta

This is the first most comprehensive study on one of Malta’s important pioneers of modernism: Carmelo Mangion (1905-1997), who lived and worked out of the spotlight of success and recognition. This study reveals the man and the artist as an etcher and teacher at the Malta Government School of Art, as a painter of landscapes, townscapes and seascapes, as an artist who documented the industrial and technological development in Malta, as well as an artist of portraits, still-lifes, compositions with figures, cathedrals and Maltese historical narratives coming up to metaphysical, religious and abstract works. This book won First Prize for Research in 2008.

PIN, Malta

This book is a collection of interviews conducted over a twenty-five year period which reveal the thoughts and aspirations of 12 prominent Maltese artists. The question and answer format maintains a balance of content that does not consist of mere biographical data, but also reflections on concepts, methods of work and critiques of specific artworks. The artists included in this collection are: Vincent Apap, Victor Diacono, Esprit Barthet, Antoine Camilleri, Frank Portelli, Frank Baldacchino, Harry Alden, Gabriel Caruana, Joseph Lawrence Mallia, Neville Ferry, Caesar Attard and Joseph Saliba. The conversations help the reader to grasp a better understanding of the evolution and concerns of Modern and Contemporary Art in Malta.

PIN, Malta

This book is the most comprehensive study on the art and life of Maltese artist Antoine Camilleri (1922-2005). It covers his role in the Modern Art Group and Atelier ’56, his years in Paris and at Bath Academy, as well as the different categories of his art: mainly the family, the Maltese landscape and seascape, the theme of the fertility goddess, the artist and the model, the artist and the studio, his work as a designer for Carnival floats and and for the Malta Philatelic Board and his religious works. The book contains a detailed biography of the artist, over 450 coloured illustrations and a selected bibliography.

Informatics Atelier, Malta

This publication documents an exhibition of paintings by Joseph Paul Cassar held at St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta, from 14th November 2003 to 11th January 2004. The catalogue of works covers: Natura Morta (1984-1985), Constructions (1985), Painted Collages (1996-2000), Paintings (1999-2002), and Watercolours (2003). There is also a detailed chronology, and a selected bibliography.

Edited by Carmel Vassallo and Clare Thake Vassallo, University Press, Malta

This book produces the proceedings of a conference held at the University of Malta. It includes a contribution by Joseph Paul Cassar entitled: MARXISM AND ART.

Informatics Atelier, Malta

This book edited by Joseph Paul Cassar documents an exhibition of drawings held at the National Museum of Fine Arts, Valletta, Malta between November 13 and December 10, 2002.  In it there are contributions by Prof Mario Buhagiar, Steve Blundell, Tony Sciberras and other contributions by artists and friends. The publication also has a detailed chronology, and a catalogue of drawings.

St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Malta

This is the first workbook of its kind for school children in Malta which accompanied the inaugural exhibition Art in Malta Today at St James Cavalier Center for Creativity, Valletta, Malta. The book consists of 10 worksheets that help the teacher and student alike to discover, appreciate and understand the works of art. There are also special notes for teachers in both Maltese and English as well as a glossary of artistic terms.

St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Malta

This is a record of the initial art exhibition curated by Joseph Paul Cassar which officially inaugurated St James Cavalier Center for Creativity, Valletta, Malta on September 22, 2000. The publication is edited by Joseph Paul Cassar with a study on Art in Malta Today. Other contributions are by Prof Richard England, Ann Monsarrat, and Prof Peter Serracino Inglott.

PIN, Malta

This is the first art history book in Maltese that covers the history of the modern period in the visual arts in Malta. It consists of coloured illustrations accompanied by a critical analysis of each key art work.