Prominent Maltese artist Noel Galea Bason dies at age 71

Maltese artist Noel Galea Bason has died at the age of 71. Bason was best known for designing the 1987 Maltese Lira coins and Malta’s first Euro coin series.

Bason’s passing was announced earlier in the week and prompted tributes from across the artist community and from Floriana residents, the town where he was born and raised, with many recalling his significant contribution to Malta’s cultural and national identity.

Bason studied at the Lyceum before deciding to further his studies at Rome’s Scuola dell’Arte della Medaglia, from which he graduated in 1978. He then went on to join the Malta Mint at the Central Bank of Malta, becoming the first Maltese artist to be entrusted with the design of the country’s coins.

Bason was also responsible for numerous medals, sculptures, commemorative pieces, and public monuments. Some of his notable commissions include the stamp issues for Pope John Paul II’s visit to Malta in 1990, as well as a monumental bronze relief marking that visit.

He was also the artist chosen to design the Dom Mintoff monument in Castille Square, honouring the former Prime Minister Dom Mintoff.

President Myriam Spiteri Debono Myriam Spiteri Debono paid tribute to the late artist. She described him as a man whose “talent and artistic vision accompanied the country through important historical moments.” Debono extended condolences to his family and friends.