As from this morning, the paintings which were temporarily removed recently as a protective measure are being returned on exhibit at the national-community art museum, MUŻA, a government statement read.
Heritage Malta's Acting Chief Executive Officer, Noel Zammit explained that "thanks to the technology available and also to Heritage Malta's dedicated employees, an increase in the humidity reading levels was identified in different sections of the Museum, leading the Agency's experts to take the decision to remove a number of paintings as a prevention to protect the works of art."
"Thanks to Heritage Malta's dedicated team, which includes curators, conservators, scientists, architects and engineers, every measure was taken to normalize the situation. In fact, as from today, the process to return the paintings back on exhibit has been initiated," he said.
"The main mission of Heritage Malta is to protect the cultural heritage entrusted to it, in this case, works of fine art. To this effect, we were very proactive, moving some of the paintings from a number of galleries to a storage area which had a stable climate within MUŻA," declared Zammit. "This is a process which will be concluded in the coming days and is being given all the attention it deserves. We are not going to take any shortcuts for any reason whatsoever."
In the meantime, Heritage Malta has just formally launched the first call for temporary exhibitions at MUŻA.
This was revealed by Zammit during the official opening of this call at MUŻA. Several artists attended this event where they received detailed information about the aims of this call.
"A work of art is given life through the message which it shares, and the emotions that it instills in those who see it," said Zammit. "The main aim of this call is in fact to initiate a dialogue in the core of Maltese and Gozitan communities."
Similarly, the exhibited art has to relate to the rich history of Malta in a way that it introduces the past to the future generations. "The chosen works which will be received through this call will be exhibited in the same space where one can find the most prestigious artworks. Therefore we are looking out for those artworks which leave a significant impact," insisted Zammit.
Those artists who are interested to exhibit their works can find further information, together with the form of application, here https://heritagemalta.org/muza-exhibitions-project-vision/
Applications are to reach Heritage Malta by the 1st November 2019