Heritage Malta inaugurated an exhibition of a selection of works from the Khalili Collections at the Grand Salon of the National Museum of Archaeology, on Monday 7th of November. The Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi inaugurated this exhibition in the presence of several guests, including Professor Nasser Khalili himself.
Professor Khalili is a scholar, collector, and philanthropist of international standing. Since 1970 he has assembled, under the auspices of the Khalili Family Trust, five of the world’s finest and most comprehensive art collections: The Arts of the Islamic World (700-1900), Japanese Art of the Meiji Period (1868-1912), Swedish Textiles (1700-1900), Spanish Damascened Metalwork (1850-1900) and Enamels of the World (1700-2000). Together, the five collections comprise some 25,000 works. Each of the five collections is, within its field, the largest and most comprehensive in the world.
The exhibition in Malta will feature works of art from the Spanish Damascene Metal, a collection that is unrivalled in its quality and depth. The majority of these works of art were created by Plácido Zuloaga (1834-1910), a leading artist of the time, whose creations are considered as masterpieces. A number of artefacts from Malta’s National Collection, including a pauldron, a pistol, a Bronze Age vessel, and a majolica jar, will also be on display complementing this exhibition. A full colour catalogue entitled Ornament and Malta: An Introduction has also been published.
Heritage Malta earlier on this year also hosted two main international exhibitions, including In Quest of Beauty by Alphonse Mucha and Mediterranean Soul by Riccardo Licata. Apart from its national endeavours, Heritage Malta also strives to increase accessibility of foreign art to the local audience. Selections from the Khalili Collections have been exhibited in over 35 world-class museums, including the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Alhambra Palace in Granada, and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
Metal Magic will be open to the public at the National Museum of Archaeology till the 29th of April, 2011. The exhibition can be viewed at the normal admission price of the museum.