Museum of Fine Arts

The Fine Arts collection ranges from the early Renaissance to modern times. Italian Baroque features mainly Mattia Preti (1613-99) and paintings by the Caravaggists Mattias Stomer (1600-50), Jean Valentin de Boulogne (1601-32) and by Guido Reni (1575-1642). The 18th century art is largely represented by Antoine de Favray (1706-98). Other paintings by Maltese artists such as Francesco Zahra (1710-73) and Giuseppe Grech (1755-87) suggest the continued influence of Roman art on local developments.

The display of works from the 19th century reflects the historical changes in the governance of the Maltese Islands to a British colony. Maltese exponents are Giorgio Pullicino (1779-1851), Giovanni Schranz (1794-1882), and Girolamo Gianni (1837-95). A more romantic strain is to be seen in works by Giuseppe Calì (1830-1915). The highlight of this section is a watercolour of the Grand Harbour by J.M.W. Turner.

The first decades of the 20th century are represented by a nucleus of paintings from the Italian school and by a sizeable number of sculptures by the Maltese artist Antonio Sciortino (1879-1947).