‘Master of the Nude’ Patrick Dalli presents retrospective at Valletta Archaeology Museum

The Valletta Cultural Agency is present an exhibition displaying a selection of recent works by acclaimed figurative artist Patrick Dalli.

Taking place between the 4 December 2021 and 9 January 2022 at the Gran Salon of the Museum of Archaeology in Republic Street, Valletta, ‘The Journey’ showcases no fewer than 34 paintings, including a bozzetto, centered on the artist’s ongoing exploration of the human body.
Often dubbed as ‘Master of the Nude’, Dalli concentrates on the beauty and sensitivity of the nude human body and does not intend to evoke sensual and sexual qualities in his depictions.

With its richly painted frescoes, exquisite arabesque cycles, a musicians’ gallery, and wooden beamed ceiling, the Baroque setting of the Archaelogy museum serves as the backdrop for this exhibition.

Dalli said nudity still is “a revolutionary detonator” even though it has been present in art for just about as long as humans have been creating it.

Artist Patrick Dalli (left)

Born 1955, Dalli was primarily interested mainly in landscape, still life, and portraiture. In 1995, he started formal training under the tutorship of Anton Calleja (b.1955-) exercising mainly in the study of the human figure. In these very active years, Dalli concentrated his practice on the nude. In the following years, together with other fellow artists, Dalli practiced intensely in live sessions and participated in collective exhibitions in Malta and abroad, exhibiting nudes, landscapes, and still-life paintings.

The catalogue for this exhibition, with an introduction penned by Prof. Vittorio Sgarbi and a critical essay written by Dr Charlene Vella, is published by La Nave di Teseo, under the Valletta Cultural Agency’s copyright.

The catalogue is curated by Elisabetta Sgarbi, Publisher of La Nave di Teseo. The exhibition is coordinated by Valerio Ballotta (GBK Malta Ltd), together with Stefano Losani and Elisabetta Sgarbi.

Dalli’s works were exhibited at St James Cavalier (2010), the Malta Fine Arts Museum (2010), Palazzo Collicola, Spoleto, Italy (2015) and Il-Kamra ta’ Fuq (2021).

Dalli’s publications include Dermografie, Gutenburg Press 2015; The Human Figure, Gutenburg Press 2010; Nudes, Midesea Books 2008 and 2004 and The Human Figure 2002.