MUŻA – The Malta National Community Art Museum

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‘MUŻA’ stands for MUŻew Nazzjonali tal-Arti, the Maltese name of the National Museum of Fine Arts, also a playful reference to the muses; the mythological figures who inspired creativity. And indeed, for its size, Malta’s MUŻA Fine Arts Museum offers a remarkable collection of over 20,000 works of European creativity, exhibiting works by world-renowned artists who feature top museums around the world.

Moreover MUŻA aspires to be more than a static museum, offering inspiring stories through audio-visual presentations which offer visitors the opportunity to discover and understand the muse of different artists as they worked on their art pieces.

The MUŻA houses works of art from the 15th until the 20th Century including the largest collection of paintings by the Southern Italian Baroque artist Mattia Preti (1613–1699), the Italian Knight of the Order of Malta whose works embellish the interior of St. John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta as well as many other churches and private collections.

Notable paintings in the collection include Death of Dragut, by Maltese painter Giuseppe Cali; The Martyrdom of St. Agatha, by Giovanni Baglione; Judith and Holofernes by Valentin de Boulogne (le Valentin) and The Mystic Marriage of St Catherine of Alexandria by Filippo Paladini. Other artists on display include Guido Reni (1575–1642). Besides Valentin de Boulogne (1591–1632), the Caravaggists include Jusepe Ribera (1591–1662) and Guido Reni (1575-1642), as well as Matthias Stomer (1600–1650), Carlo Maratta (1625–1713) and Bernardo Strozzi (1581–1644).

MUŻA holds an exquisite collection of society scenes and portraits by Antoine de Favray (1706-1798), including an iconic portrait of Grand Master Pinto. Melchiorre Gafa’s terracotta model of St. Thomas of Villanova served as the basis of a marble statue in the Church of St. Agostino in Rome, while the museum also houses outstanding works by Maltese sculptors Antonio Sciortino (1879–1947) and Vincent Apap (1909-2003).

The Grand Harbour of Malta and its environs is the subject of an iconic William Turner (1775–1851) watercolour. Other Grand Harbour views by Edward Lear (1812–1888), Louis Ducros (1748–1810) and a noteworthy group of landscapes by Maltese artists are also on display together with a fine and rare collection of antique maps.

The collection started in 1923 thanks to Vincenzo Bonello, the first fine arts curator; the first Malta Fine Arts Museum was established in the stately Admiralty House in 1974 until 2018 when it changed its location to Auberge d’Italie and was renamed MUŻA. This Baroque palace, full of history, was the former seat of Italian Knights of the Order of St John. This new museum is a self-sustainable, energy efficient institution with potential zero-carbon footprint and significant energy cost savings through carefully-retrofitted sustainable measures.

In a nutshell, MUŻA National Community Art Museum is a must-see for anyone who enjoys the arts and wants to know more about Malta’s art history.

Reasons to Visit:

1. You can found a large part of Malta’s art heritage in an important history building.
2. Thanks to the art treasures left by the Knights of of St John, MUŻA presents an excellent selection of European Baroque art.
3. The temporary exhibitions give an ever-changing vista and new insights to Maltese art.
4. The audio-visual experiences being developed at MUŻA give visitors a unique understanding of different artists’ creativity.

Nearby Attractions:
– St John’s Co-Cathedral
– The Church of St Catherine of Alexandria
– The Church of Our Lady of Victories
– The Auberge de Castille
– The Malta Stock Exchange
– The Upper Barrakka Gardens

Ticket Prices:
Adult (18-59): €7.00
Students (12-17): €5.50
Seniors (60+): €5.50
Children (6-11): €4.00

Opening Hours: 09.00 – 17.00 Monday to Sunday.