The donation of artist and sculptor Josef Kalleya’s work to the University of Malta was recently formalised in the presence of Prof. Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci and Prof. Keith Sciberras from the Department of Art & Art History.
A gallery exhibiting the same corpus of works is being set up at the University’s Valletta Campus.
Josef Kalleya, a figure who helped shape Malta’s early 20th century art scene, passed away aged 100 years, 22 years ago.
His unique personal style of inscribed graffiti through the use of a mix of materials, namely felt pens, ballpoint, crayon, charcoal, chalk, paint and clay, was memorable in that it earned him a permanent spot in Malta’s artistic landscape.
"We are both thankful and honoured that the family entrusted this collection of art to the University. We are working on setting up a permanent gallery at Valletta campus, a space that will also have a didactic and research purpose", Prof. Sciberras told Newspoint.