David Lindsay

The Rabat local council has paid what will be a lasting, special tribute to one of the locality’s most revered sons, sculptor Anton Agius, with the establishment of a foundation in his name tasked with restoring his hometown’s historic monuments.

Through the Anton Agius Foundation and in partnership with Volksbank Malta, the Rabat local council is to begin work on restoring the myriad historical monuments, buildings and niches dotting almost every corner of the city, many of which are in dire need of repair, and many of which undoubtedly served as early inspiration for the young Anton Agius who later became one Malta’s most renowned sculptors.

Speaking on Monday, Rabat mayor Sandro Craus described the founding of the initiative and the upcoming commencement of restoration works as the realisation of a dream, but one which will undoubtedly also be a challenging experience.

The foundation has been kick-started with e25,000 in seed capital, but will undoubtedly require more fundraising efforts to reach its ultimate goals.

Rabat and its environs are one of the most archaeologically rich areas in Malta, and one of the Foundation’s first targets will be the restoration of a Roman water feature.

Mr Craus, who spearheaded the Foundation’s formation, added that Rabat was also duty bound to honour and preserve the memory of Anton Agius, who passed away last October.

Along such lines, the local council is, in a separate initiative, to begin fundraising in the near future for a public statue of the sculptor, which has already been designed by one of Agius’ former students.

Present for the launching along with Volksbank managing director Herbert Skok, local councils parliamentary secretary Chris Said observed how every nook and cranny of Rabat was intimately tied

to the nation’s history, and commended the type of public-private partnership struck up between the Rabat local council and Volksbank.

While such PPPs, he said, were a relatively new concept, the upcoming reform of the local councils system would make it easier for the private sector to work with councils along similar lines.

Thanking the Rabat council for leading by example, Dr Said added that such maximisation of a locality’s history, culture and folklore tied in with the wider sustainable localities concept.

Anton Agius sculpted some of Malta’s finest and most prominent bronze monuments, amongst which are the Workers’ Memorial monument in Msida, the Freedom Monument in Vittoriosa, the Dun Mikiel Xerri monument in Independence Square, Valletta, and the Sette Giugno monument in St George’s Square, Valletta.

Having exhibited in Malta, London, Edinburgh, Italy and Lithuania, Agius’ works are to be found in collections across the globe, but he also imparted his knowledge and advice as an art teacher, university lecturer and a member of the Malta Aesthetics Board.

He was made a Member of the National Order of Merit, and received numerous accolades including the Onoroficenza Per Meriti from the Associazione Culturale Amici di Pan of Florence, the Artist of the Year award in 1980, the Targa d’Oro by the Italian Associazione Nazionale Artistica Culturale and First Prize in the International Art Biennale of Malta.