After visiting St. John’s Co Cathedral in the morning, and dodging the crowds on the Merchant’s Street, I was in need of a quiet space for the remainder of the day. Close to where I was, is the museum of fine arts, and I thought spending an afternoon at MUZA would be perfect.
MUZA
MUZA is a beautiful modern museum of fine arts, displaying Maltese and European art work from various ages.
The main floor houses a gift shop, restaurant and smaller display room. The first floor is extensive and is where most of the art is displayed.
The building is impeccably clean, a pleasant temperature and was just about completely empty of visitors when I was there. I felt like I had the entire museum to myself.
Most of the art work is unprotected, and the visitor can get right up beside each piece for closer inspection. More fragile pieces are encased safely behind glass cases.
The majority of the work are paintings, however there are a number of sculptures, ceramics, furniture and maps. Several small TV projectors show video footage of how items have been made or produced, different techniques used etc.
Maps
One of my favourite things to see were the old maps of Malta. It was interesting to look not only at the maps and how they were drawn, but also the ornate penmanship surrounding the maps.
On some of the older maps, I was unable to locate Malta at all. Others showed the city of Valletta and the grand harbour with beautiful detail.
Paintings
Exquisite old paintings surrounded me, most quite modest in size. One in particular, a Caravaggio, was extraordinary. I am however biased as Caravaggio is one of my all time favourite artists.
Many of the paintings were of religious subject matter, not surprising as Malta is a heavily religious and Christian country.
There was a lovely small collection of newer works, Big and bold was large green piece reminiscent of cubism by Maltese artist Frank Portelli.
The End
When the visitor is nearing the end of the displays, there is a creative room which show cases some of the artists rough sketches. I found these fascinating, as they are almost like the bones of a painting. There is seating here, if one wishes to put pencil to paper.
The cost to enter the museum is 10 Euro, $15 (CAD) well spent. To be surrounded by beautiful old art and have peace and quiet for hours was blissful. Siting to enjoy a coffee afterwards in the open courtyard and having access to clean facilities, was a bonus.
If you are out and about in Valletta and are feeling overwhelmed, or want to see a lovely representation of Maltese art work, this museum is a real treasure.
