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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 DECEMBER 2021 6 CULTURE Patrick Dalli exhibition at Valletta Archeology Museum until January AS part of its Cultural Pro- gramme, the Valletta Cultural Agency is pleased to present an exhibition displaying a selection of recent works by acclaimed figurative artist Patrick Dalli. Taking place between the 4th of December 2021 and the 9th of January 2022 at the Gran Salon of the Museum of Archaeolo- gy in Republic Street, Valletta, The Journey showcases no fewer than 34 paintings, including a bozzetto, centered on the art- ist's ongoing exploration of the human body. Often dubbed as 'Master of the Nude', Dalli does not in- tend to evoke sensual and sex- ual qualities in his depictions but rather concentrates on the beauty and sensitivity of the nude human body. T he venue's Baroque splen- dor - including richly painted frescoes, exquisite arabesque cycles, a musicians' gallery, and wooden beamed ceiling - will serve as the backdrop for this exhibition. The artist states that nudity still is a revolutionary deto- nator even though it has been present in art for just about as long as humans have been cre- ating it. Born in Malta in 1955, Dal- li 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. It is in these very active years that Dalli concentrated his practice on the nude. In the following years, to- gether 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 paint- ings. His works were exhibited at St James Cavalier (2010), the Malta Fine Arts Museum (2010), Palazzo Collicola, Spo- leto, Italy (2015) and Il-Kamra ta' Fuq (2021). Dalli's publications include Dermografie, Gutenburg Press 2015; the human figure, Guten- burg Press 2010; Nudes, Mide- sea Books 2008 and 2004 and The Human Figure 2002. The Catalogue for this exhi- bition, with an introduction penned by Prof. Vittorio Sgar- bi and a critical essay written by Dr. Charlene Vella, is pub- lished by La Nave di Teseo, un- der the Valletta Cultural Agen- cy's copyright. The catalogue is curated by Elisabetta Sgarbi, Publisher of La Nave di Teseo. The exhibi- tion is coordinated by Valerio Ballotta (GBK Malta Ltd), to- gether with Stefano Losani and Elisabetta Sgarbi. Based on the legacy of the Valletta 2018 Foundation, the Valletta Cultural Agency seeks to promote the capital's cultur- al and artistic heritage through the creation of an annual pro- gramme of events that are ac- cessible to all.