As part of its commitment to upholding the arts, the Malta Society of Arts has awarded a Gold Medal in recognition of outstanding contributions to the arts for over a century. The first Gold Medal was given by the Malta Society of Arts in 1896, when it was awarded to Emidio Vassallo for achievements in metal engraving. Past recipients of the Gold Medal Award have included such illustrious names as Sir Temi Zammit (1904), Robert Caruana Dingli (1916), Emvin Cremona (1963), Oreste Chircop (1997), Richard England (1984), Giovanni Bonello (2002), Joseph Calleja (2007), Harry Alden (2013) and Carmine Lauri (2015), to name but a few.

This year's recipient Francesca Balzan (b. 1973) is a Maltese artist, art historian, and author, known for her sculpture and her specialised research in the history of jewellery in Malta. A frequent lecturer on the subject, she has contributed significantly to both academic and cultural heritage circles through her publications and curatorial work.

Francesca's first book Jewellery in Malta: Treasures from the Island of the Knights (Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, 2009) was awarded the National Book Prize for historical research. Her continuing research, publications and lectures culminated in her curation of the landmark Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti (FPM) exhibition 'Vanity, Profanity & Worship: Jewellery from the Maltese Islands' (Casino Maltese, Valletta, 2013).

Between 2007 and 2018, Francesca served as the first curator of the highly acclaimed Palazzo Falson Historic House Museum, guiding its development through its first decade as a museum open to the public. Following her tenure at Palazzo Falson, she was commissioned to design a new museum for the Notarial Registers Archive in Valletta (inaugurated in 2023). Over the years, she has curated numerous exhibitions, ranging from historical artefacts to contemporary art, and has authored accompanying catalogues and monographs. She has also served as a visiting lecturer at the University of Malta and created and hosted the popular podcast series 'Treasures from Malta' produced for FPM, which ran for four seasons.

Francesca has sat on a number of culture- and heritage-related boards throughout her career, contributing her time and knowledge in both a voluntary and a professional capacity to shape Malta's cultural direction.  

Francesca began her artistic training in 1998 with private studies under Harry Alden (another MSA gold medallist) and later obtained a diploma in painting from the Malta School of Art. A self-taught sculptor, her practice focuses on hand-built clay works, primarily male portraits and caricatures, though she has also worked extensively in paper and mixed media. In 2006, together with artist Celia Borg Cardona, she won first prize in an international competition for a sculpture installation at Malta International Airport's Schengen Extension Area. The resulting large-scale sculpture, the first monumental sculpture by women artists in Malta, was exhibited there for several years.

Since then, Francesca has continued to evolve her art practice, and she now works full-time as a visual artist, with a particular focus on sculpture and installation. Historical research remains at the root of her practice and is the starting point for her art. She has worked extensively on historical records of Maltese migrants from national archives, bringing their stories to life in her sculpture. Her most recent solo exhibition 'Incunabula 1474-2025' was held at the National Library of Malta in 2025 and juxtaposed the cutting-edge technology of 3D printing with the earliest printed texts in the national collection, through her chosen medium of porcelain. She has also shown her sculpture abroad, most recently in 2025 at the University of Graz Library in Austria, and the Palais d'Europe in Strasbourg, France.

Francesca has also collaborated on several projects, including 'Curious Beauty: An Alternative Costume Exhibition' for which she shared artistic direction with Caroline Tonna. Held at Palazzo Falson in 2024, the exhibition was shortlisted for the National Art Prize in 2025.

The award ceremony will take place on 25 January, 2027.

For more on the history of the MSA's Gold Medal visit www.artsmalta.org/gold-medal-award.

The President of the MSA, Dr Joe Borg, comments: "The Gold Medal Award has been an MSA tradition for over a century. It is a way of celebrating and paying tribute to individuals who have made a significant impact in the field."