The Committee of Saint Philip Band Club, AD1851, will be commemorating the 100th anniversary of the death of the great artist Luigi Fontana with a symposium to be held on Monday, 2 June at 7.30pm in the main hall of the club premises in Zebbug, Malta. Entrance is free and the public is invited.

Luigi Fontana was a very prolific painter and sculptor whose artistic works are now being re-evaluated after so many years in relative obscurity. His works consist mainly in religious paintings found in diverse locations ranging from the Roman basilicas such as that of Santi Apostoli to smaller churches particularly in the Le Marche region, his birthplace. He was also very actively engaged in ornamental work, design and modelling, almost always on sacred themes.

Fontana was probably the most talented apprentice and protégée Tomaso Minardi had. Without any doubt the most famous work by Fontana in Malta is the silver repousseé statue of St Philip of Agira. This difficult work of art is also an important landmark in the artist’s development, being one of his earliest works.

The speakers will be revealing and illustrating new details about the artist, the statue of St Philip of Agira and the local connections with these great artists and their influence in the history of art. They are Dr Eugene Montanaro, Dr Albert Ganado and the invited main speaker, Dott Marisa Calisti, a well known Italian artist, art critic and art professor who authored several books on art.