‘Malta-born’ Corto Maltese to get sculpture on Ta’ Liesse belvedere

A proposed belvedere on the ‘cimbolo’ buildings at Ta’ Liesse in Valletta is to include a Corten steel cut-out sculpture of the cult comic book character Corto Maltese.

Corto Maltese, an anti-hero who prefers freedom and imagination to wealth, was created by the Italian comic book creator Hugo Pratt in 1967. The fictional character did have a Maltese connection having been supposedly born in Valletta in 1887 to a Romani witch from Seville and a sailor from Cornwall. But Corto Maltese’s childhood is spent in Gibraltar, and later in Cordova where he lived in the Jewish Quarter.

The belvedere is set to feature public installations, inspired from the story of Corto Maltese including a steel sculpture of the character. It will also include a water feature in the shape of a ship’s bow and mast and V-shaped corten steel sculptures on either end of the building.

The project also foresees the repair and reinstatement of a waterproofing system over all the roofs and the installation of a completely ‘reversible’ raised floor system

The project proposed by the Malta Tourism Authority has been approved by the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage which has sternly warned against any future commercial use of this public space.

“The  area is to be retained only as an open space without the addition of structures, furniture, or umbrellas,” the SCH said in its final submission on the project.

The SCH had originally expressed concern on the design of the project which was scaled back to avoid any negative visual impact.

According to architect David Zahra the artistic installations, proposed at  either end of the belvedere will not have any negative impact on the short, medium and long-distance views, but rather “add interest and create curiosity” and create a “subliminal link to the Grand Harbour”.

The project is set to get the final approval of the Planning Authority on 4 April.