Following the recent death of Antoine Camilleri, one of Malta’s foremost post-war artists, the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts in collaboration with the Education Ministry is organising a tribute concert on Tuesday (7.30pm-8.35pm) at Robert Samut Hall, Floriana.

The programme will be a special dedication to the legacy that Antoine Camilleri has left to Maltese contemporary art. During the evening’s commemoration, there will be a video presentation featuring Antoine’s life and spirit through his outstanding works. Professor Peter Serracino Inglott will give a talk highlighting his spiritual and artistic career. Jazz players Joe Debono and Charles Gatt and tenor Aldo Busuttil will perform a tribute in memory of the artist. The evening will be presented by Joyce Guillaumier.

A restless artist, Antoine studied art in Paris in the years following World War II. He later continued his studies at the Bath Academy in England. In 1956 he was one of the founding members of the Artists’ Group Atelier as well as the Arists’ Guild.

Antoine’s works have been exhibited in Europe and New York as well as at the 1950 Venice Biennale. A retrospective show featuring 51 of his works was presented at a Bank of Valletta’s exhibition in Sliema in 1999. His art was described as “singular because it is compounded of the distilled poetry of simple human sentiments”.

In 1996 Antoine Camilleri was awarded the Midalja ghall-Qadi tar-Repubblika (Medal for Services to Republic of Malta). In 2003 he received the award Premju Gharfien Kulturali from the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts for his life-long contribution to the arts.

He was married to Thereza nee Tanti, with whom he had five children: Gerard, Pierre, Antoine Paul, Mariel and Marthese.

He passed away at the age of 83 on 22 November.

Artists, colleagues, friends and relatives of Antoine Camilleri are cordially invited to attend this commemoration programme.