TWO GENERATIONS
OF MALTESE ARTISTIC FAMILIES
ART EXHIBITION
Fri 10th Oct - Thu 4th Dec 2014
APS Bank Centre, Tower Street, Birkirkara
Antoine & Antoine Paul Camilleri
Aldo & Nadine Micallef-Grimaud
IntrOduction
This year’s APS Bank Exhibition launches a three year programme which
focuses on the inter-generational rapport within families of artists. These
interactions will be illustrated through the works of twelve Maltese
artists who have been active on the art scene for the past seventy years.
The exhibits trace the development, in terms of style and themes, of
Malta’s social and political history as seen through the eyes and expressed
by the hands of the artists.
This year’s exhibits are the work of the Camilleri and Micallef-Grimaud
families. They are representative of the creative output of Antoine
Camilleri and his son Antoine Paul, and of Aldo Micallef-Grimaud and
his daughter Nadine. These works draw on the visions and expressions of
the two generations, celebrating the achievements of the older one and
the promise of the upcoming younger generation.
To complement this occasion, APS Bank is publishing the book
Two Generations of Maltese Artistic Families. Apart from extensive
biographies, the book presents critiques of the social milieu in which
the artists worked and the evolution of the art scene in the Maltese
Islands since the 1930’s. The art sphere saw major changes with the
establishment of the Malta Government School of Art in 1925. The
school’s main function was to serve as an academy for Malta, replacing
the small classes spread around the island.
The beginning of modernism in art in Malta is attributed to the creation
of the Modern Art Group, which was started in the early fifties and later
evolved into the Atelier ’56. Artists at that time became highly conscious
of their art practice and had to make choices of style within the
limitations of what was, or was not, accepted by society. This exhibition
is a reflection of the past and present artists working on various media
and their contribution to modern art in Malta.
This souvenir booklet is a guide to the exhibits. It also presents short
biographies of the four artists.
Dr Louis Laganà
Curator and Editor
The Artists
Antoine Camilleri with his dog
Antoine Paul Camilleri, Studio in Pembroke, 2014
ANTOINE CAMILLERI (1922-2005)
ANTOINE PAUL CAMILLERI
The name of Antoine Camilleri is associated with the first
generation of Maltese ‘modern’ artists. He started to attend
the Malta Government School of Art in 1936 and his first
tutor was Dwardu Zammit and later under the tutorship of
Vincent Apap and Edward Caruana Dingli. In 1949 Antoine
Camilleri went to study art at the Académie des Beaux-Arts
in Paris and in 1960 he won a Commonwealth scholarship
and had the opportunity to study for a year at the Bath
Academy in England.
Antoine Paul Camilleri excels not only in drawing and
painting but he is also an excellent etcher, ceramist and
sculptor. He is the son of the late, distinguished veteran
artist Antoine Camilleri, who was his first tutor. Antoine
Paul studied art also at the Upper Secondary School under
the tuition of renowned artist and educator Esprit Barthet
(1976) and at the Malta Government School of Art where
he obtained the Diploma in Fine Art.
In 1956, the artist started teaching art full-time at the
Lyceum in Valletta and then later in Hamrun. Antoine
Camilleri formed part of the first modern art group in Malta,
known as the Modern Art Circle (1952) which later became
the Modern Art Group. The artist was also one of the founder
members of the Atelier ’56.
Antoine Camilleri had many personal exhibitions and
participated in a number of collective art shows in Malta and
abroad. Throughout the years, the artist experimented with
a variety of media and he will be mostly remembered for his
unique style known as ‘pictures in clay’, made with the typical
cracks and dry textures. In most of his works he included
his self-portrait in a variety of guises. He remains not only
as an iconic name in Modernism in Maltese art but also an
inspiration to the new generation of artists.
Antoine Paul is a versatile artist and works in different media.
Thematically, his work is figurative and he expresses everyday
situations and experiences from the simplest image of a horse
or a bird to a girl playing with a doll or his father seated on
an armchair relaxed, smoking a cigarette and absorbed in
profound thoughts. In some of the works the impressionistic
style dominates but there are instances where the artist
conveys a more simplified form to reveal the essential aspect
of the figure.
The artist had many personal art exhibitions and participated
in numerous collective art shows in Malta and abroad. He
also won a number of awards and the most prestigious is the
Silver Palette by the Malta Society of Arts.
Antoine Paul Camilleri’s works are found in many private
collections and galleries. His mature style in figurative
sculpture will remain an important landmark in the history
of Maltese art.
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The Artists
Aldo Micallef-Grimaud at tal-Għolja, 1999.
Nadine during plein air painting
Aldo Micallef-Grimaud (1925-2010)
Nadine Micallef-Grimaud
Aldo Micallef-Grimaud is synonymous with those Maltese
premier portrait painters of the post-war period. He started
his artistic career at a very young age and at the age of 11 years
he attended the Malta Government School of Art. During
the 1940’s, the artist had the great privilege to be trained in
painting under the distinguished artists Robert and Edward
Caruana Dingli. His other tutors were Vincent Apap, Carmenu
Mangion, George Borg and Antonio Micallef. History of Art
was studied under Vincenzo Bonello and later under Carmel
Attard Cassar. In 1947 he studied also at the British-run
Education Vocation Centre in Heliopolis, Egypt. When Aldo
was 15 years old he won the first prize with his self-portrait at
the RAF Arts Exhibition and later in 1953 he placed second
after Vincent Apap in the Kingsway Fountain competition.
Nadine Micallef-Grimaud is an artist who literally lives art.
She studied art under the tutorship of her father, Aldo, and
attended courses in painting at the Malta Society of Arts and
other foreign institutions. At the age of ten she won her first
important art prize in the Fifth World School Children’s
Art Exhibition held in Taiwan, Republic of China. Later in
life, Nadine was awarded many prizes at international level
and has registered a notable success in countries like Durban
in South Africa, England and Belgium. She also attained a
coveted major award known as the Season’s Award in Boston,
U.S.A. The artist is also the holder of La Medaglia d’Oro by
the Accademia del Mediterraneao, a gold medal by the Malta
Horticultural Society, and a Gold Ribbon in Canada.
Aldo Micallef-Grimaud was a ‘modern traditionalist’ who
kept within the parameters of figurative and landscape
representation. He loved plein air painting and excelled in
watercolours, pastels and oil painting. In 1972 Aldo was given
the title of Pittore della Reale Casa Aragonese.
Throughout his artistic career, Aldo Micallef-Grimaud worked
in many churches and chapels and his works are found at the
National Museum of Fine Arts, and private galleries in Malta
and abroad. Aldo remains an important veteran artist and a
noted tenor who was respected for his unique artistic creativity
and undisputed performance in painting.
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Nadine’s name is also associated with Floral Art and during
the years she became a leading exponent of this art form. She is
an interdisciplinary artist and creates landscape and figurative
images, and abstract works in a variety of media. She also
expresses her concepts in installation work.
Nadine has a postgraduate certificate in Fine Art and her
intention is to continue studying at Master’s level. She is also
a qualified demonstrator of Floral Art (NAFAS, UK). Apart
from dedicating most of her time to painting and sculpture,
she teaches floral art and special effects for film and TV makeup at the Malta Society of Arts, Valletta.
Antoine Camilleri
In Antoine Camilleri’s collection, we find
a remarkable lino-print showing St Francis
kneeling in prayer with uplifted face and
arms. The composition also includes
the sea, fish and other tiny animals
surrounding the Saint. The sun is setting
and the moon in the sky is placed inside
the typical square which the artist regularly
incorporates in his drawings, paintings and
clay reliefs. As usual, the figure of the Saint
is tortuously elongated to give a sense of
beauty and expression.
Antoine Camilleri, St Francis of Assisi, lino-print, 2000
In the work entitled The Bugibba
Breakwater, Antoine used the circle, in
this case, representing the sun, inside a
square. He repeated this image many
times and suggested that his use of the
square symbolised strength, and the circle
represented beauty and totality. The
artist produced many other seascapes and
landscapes similar to this painting, many
times using resin and mixed media.
Antoine Camilleri, The Bugibba Breakwater, oil on board, undated
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Antoine Camilleri
In his work entitled The Artist’s Meal,
Antoine Camilleri used various foundobjects, things that surrounded him in
his studio or in his house. This work
was actually inspired by a painting of
the artist’s mentor-friend, George Preca
(1909-1984). Antoine immortalised these
found-objects with resin, and gave them
a permanence to be viewed and make the
public think of what lies behind such
representation.
Antoine Camilleri, The Artist’s Meal, found objects concealed with resin, resin on wood, 1960
During his artistic career, Antoine painted
the portrait of his wife Teresa many
times. This portrait is a visual narrative
of Antoine’s wedding day. He wanted
to celebrate this wonderful occasion by
depicting his wife in her formal beauty as
a bride. In the background one can see a
number of guests as well as the celebrant of
the wedding.
Antoine Camilleri, Bridal Moments, oil on board, 1954
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Antoine Camilleri
In this work, The Artist’s Family, Antoine
used the usual clay coating on wood. He
incised figures of his wife as model, and
of himself holding a palette shown inside
his studio. Encrusted in the middle of the
panel, the artist attached a small photo of
his five children. Resin was applied to keep
the dried clay design and texture solidified.
Antoine Camilleri, The Artist’s Family, clay and resin on wood, 1996
Antoine Camilleri’s style of working
in clay, by using his famous technique
of incising and scratching lines in clay,
became very popular in the eighties.
This sort of relief work in clay was later
called ‘painting in clay’. This is perhaps
one of the finest works of this kind,
depicting himself surrounded by photos
and paintings of his family and friends,
at his well known Kantina studio in Old
Bakery Street in Valletta.
Antoine Camilleri, Prayer, clay indian ink, photographs and resin, 1982
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Antoine PAUL Camilleri
Antoine Paul modelled the figure of
St Francis in clay and showed the saint
surrounded by birds rejoicing in a
wonderful way as if gazing and listening
to the saint’s sermon. Behind the saint,
one can see the symbolical wolf calmly
sitting down enjoying the tranquil
atmosphere of that moment. Stylistically
this work is emblematic of the artist’s
grotesque figurative expression with
a touch of romantic quality, which
became synonymous with Antoine Paul’s
figurative sculpture.
Antoine Paul Camilleri, St Francis, ceramics, 2011
Antoine Paul’s self-portrait shows the artist
gazing through a window, with one of his
arms resting on the window sill and the
other arm supporting his head with the
hand held under the chin. His eyes in this
self-portrait appear narrower, with the pupils
furtively looking to the side. This reflective
mood is characteristic of the artist. In this
work the artist used little glazing leaving the
parts of the flesh in terracotta.
Antoine Paul Camilleri, Self-Portrait, ceramics, 2008
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Antoine PAUL Camilleri
A good example of Antoine Paul’s work
in clay, which he later cast in bronze, is
Pietà – a contemporary version of Our
Lady of Sorrows. In this work, we see
the mother on her knees holding her
dead son on her lap. Unfortunately, it is a
scene we see in everyday life in the news,
especially where war and crime dominate
this world.
Antoine Paul Camilleri, Pietà, bronze, 2009
In this work the artist shows a young male
lying down on a bed visibly in deep sleep
and dreaming. The lad is in fact the artist
himself sleeping. It is a clear reminder
of childhood. Antoine Paul’s father
frequently used him as a model and viceversa. In this ceramic sculpture, the artist
was inspired by the sketches that his father
produced of him when he was a young
boy, sometimes while he was sleeping.
Antoine Paul Camilleri, Sleeping, ceramics, 2011
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Antoine PAUL Camilleri
Apart from working in sculpture, Antoine
Paul also executed many drawings and
paintings. In this work the artist shows us
a fine pen drawing of the rooftops as seen
from a distance above other buildings.
The drawing is very graphical and the
line contours and rectangular shapes of
the buildings express the linear effect of
the scene.
Antoine Paul Camilleri, Valletta Rooftops, pen, 2014
The primitivistic appeal in Antoine Paul
Camilleri’s work is in his affinity with
primitive forms of works of art. Another
work which the artist created, and is
related to the theme of the Mother and
Child, is a bronze sculpture depicting
a seated mother bending forward and
holding her baby on her back. This
reminds us of African women carrying
their babies on their backs while working
in fields and households. Here the artist is
exposing and representing an experience
through form, and makes us recognise our
real world.
Antoine Paul Camilleri, Mother and Child, bronze, 2009
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Aldo Micallef-Grimaud
In this religious portrait of The Praying
Christ, Aldo captures a glimpse of Christ’s
suffering as a human being and as the divine
that gave him strength to face and embrace
His approaching death. The typical pose of
Christ with uplifted face and hands held
together in prayer is an example of the
traditional composition which the artist
used to express a religious image.
Aldo Micallef-Grimaud, The Praying Christ, sepia soft pastels, 1999
Aldo mastered soft pastels when he
attended the Malta Government School of
Art in the mid-forties. Although this work
was executed some years after he finished
his art studies under the tutorship of
Edward Caruana Dingli, he still shows the
influence of the technique employed in the
portraiture of this period.
Aldo Micallef-Grimaud , Self-Portrait, soft pastels, 1955
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Aldo Micallef-Grimaud
Aldo showed great skill at portraiture,
both in oils and pastels. In this work the
artist successfully broke away from the
art of the past influence at the Malta
Government School of Art and changed
direction to create his own style using
his direct visual experience. This portrait
of Nadine is perhaps one of the finest in
pastels. Aldo captured not just the likeness
of the sitter, but also revealed a timeless
notion of beauty in portraiture.
Aldo Micallef-Grimaud, Portrait of his Daughter Nadine, soft pastels, 1985
Throughout his artistic career Aldo worked
on many still life compositions in various
styles and media. This example of a vase
of flowers, fruit and pot is a fine example
of his romantic vision which is also found
in still life drawings and paintings. In this
work, colour was his main focus and the
artist treated with great care the contrasts
and solidity of the objects.
Aldo Micallef-Grimaud, Still Life, oils on canvas, 1974
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Aldo Micallef-Grimaud
I consider this work as pivotal and an
important example which demonstrates
Aldo’s ability to work also on
contemporary themes and methods. We
know that, although he favoured the
strong traditional academic disciplines
rather than the modern trends which
were emerging in Malta at his time, he
also considered a way to find expression
in materiality. In this work, the artist
used mixed media and also objects
(objet trouvé) which he found at hand
like the matchbox. In this quasi-abstract
representation of pollution the artist
wanted to convey that humans are
ignoring the sacredness of life and Earth.
Aldo Micallef-Grimaud, Pollution, oils, fibreglass and mixed media on board, 1974
Plein air painting was Aldo’s favourite way
to go out painting with his family. The
artist executed many landscapes and he
treated the subject with great discipline,
like portraiture. In this landscape, the
quality of the colours with broken strokes
is very impressionist while the execution of
the atmospheric conditions is controlled
more with a romantic fashion. This
work shows how successful the artist was
in achieving his own signature style in
painting with oils.
Aldo Micallef-Grimaud, Landscape, oil on canvas, 1980
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Nadine Micallef-Grimaud
In this painting, Nadine depicted from
the back, an expressive semi-abstract nude
female torso seated on a golden platter
with her hair flowing to the left, possibly
expressing a sign of getting away from
the past. Next to the figure there are two
pears which signify femininity and are
usually associated with sensuality, but in
this case the pear is also a sign of strength.
The woman who symbolically represents
the artist’s ego is holding a child in her
hands. It is an expression of love and
creativity. To contrast with this symbol,
on the left, the artist used a torn picture
of a man’s face which probably suggests a
negative past experience.
Nadine Micallef-Grimaud, Nostalgia, mixed media, 2010
Nadine Micallef-Grimaud, L-Aħħar Demgħa, oil on canvas, 1997
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In Nadine’s painting L-Aħħar Demgħa,
the artist repeated the theme of the
mother. In this religious theme, the
artist associates the mother with sorrow
and pain. This painting is a work based
more on the traditional articulation of
the features of the figures rather than
a contemporary stylistic expression.
Yet the facial characteristics of the
Madonna are more of a modernist trait
than that of the dead Christ. In fact,
Nadine was inspired by the Madonna
of the Norwegian expressionist painter,
Edvard Munch. Although the facial
features are the same like those of
Munch, Nadine’s Madonna puts us in
a different perspective and our gaze is
more oriented towards what is spiritual
and sacred.
Nadine Micallef-Grimaud
Nadine Micallef-Grimaud, Rough Seas, oil on canvas, undated
Nadine also finds inspiration in many
local landscapes and seascapes. A
marine painting entitled Rough Seas is
another work which the artist created
to express the power of nature. The
artist is fascinated by storms which
create the most frightening sea waves,
yet their beauty surmounts this fear. The
artist loves the way the light of the sky
shimmers over the waters and the dark
and light clouds merge in a display of
pure delight. This work is executed in
oils with an impasto which was purposely
applied to bring out the effect of the
waves breaking on the rocks.
In this painting called My Madonna
and Child, Nadine represents in an
essentialist form the mother and child
figures. She uses semi-circular bands of
monochromatic blue paint expressed with
dynamic brushstrokes. As in her recent
paintings, the blue colour symbolises
the ‘soul’. The elongation of her figures
expresses symbolically a celebration of
love, sensuality and the unconscious as a
source of creativity.
Nadine Micallef-Grimaud, My Madonna and Child, oil on canvas, 2010
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Nadine Micallef-Grimaud
In the landscape of the old capital city
of Mdina, Nadine used mixed media
and resin to create a relief of the tactile
surfaces of rocks, and the fortifications of
the city. The city is in the dark and is only
illuminated by the colourful mesmerising
fireworks, which give a dazzling effect to
the composition.
Nadine Micallef-Grimaud, Mdina by Night, mixed media on board, 1999
In recent years, Nadine focused more on
abstract painting. The artist successfully
achieved great results with her continuous
exploration and experimentation with
new techniques with colours. Nadine is
one of the first artists to create original
and unusual effects in her abstracts which
today is referred to as ‘accidental painting’.
This method of painting requires great
skill and the use of the right media.
Nadine Micallef-Grimaud, Diptych - Abstract No.1 and No. 2, mixed media, 2014
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Pre-launch offer
€25
Two Generations of Maltese Artistic Families - Volume One
Antoine & Antoine Paul Camilleri
Aldo & Nadine Micallef-Grimaud
Art book now available from APS Centre, B’Kara or via apsbank.trolleymania.com
Tel: 2560 3221/2 - Web: www.apsbank.com.mt
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