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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 10 SEPTEMBER 2023 4 ART This article is supported by Arts Council Malta Malta Society of A rts' seminal The exhibition will feature Masterworks of Maltese Modern Art by artists such as Anton Inglott, Frank Portelli and Emvin Cremona, as well as works by contemporary artists, and historic archival documents. FRAGMENTS of a Legacy: The Malta Society of Arts, 1923-2023 opens this Thursday 14 Septem- ber at Palazzo de la Salle, Vallet- ta. It features works by 20 artists from the past 100 years, ranging from giants such as Anton In- glott, Frank Portelli and Emvin Cremona, to contemporary art- ists such as Aaron Bezzina and Matthew Attard. The show will also include ma- terial from the Malta Society of Arts' (MSA) archives which span back to 1852, including cata- logues from groundbreaking ex- hibitions and other documents which shed light on particular moments of the MSA's long his- tory. Fragments of a Legacy is an MSA initiative and forms part of the celebrations commemorating the Society's 100 years at Palazzo de La Salle. Over this past centu- ry, the Society has been intimately involved with the development of the cultural field in Malta: it has consistently supported artists, musicians, and craftspeople in their tuition, it has often financed their studies, offered space for concerts and exhibitions, and provided opportunities for artists to exert influence on the interna- tional cultural scene via their in- volvement in the Society. Over time, the Society has ac- cumulated an archive and art col- lection that are testament to its deep involvement in the cultural world, in all its aspects. The MSA has not been immune to the work- ings of history. New research has shown that while also support- ing and encouraging artists, the Society has held a conservative position that sometimes worked to suppress groundbreaking art, indirectly held women back from positions of power and rejected artworks which later came to be recognised as masterworks of Maltese Modern art. That said, across the history of the Society there has always been a progres- sive energy, fuelled by the artists working within the institution, that has provided a counter- point to the more conservative elements within the MSA and worked to keep the institution contemporary. This exhibition is an attempt to acknowledge this narrative and take ownership of a complicated past. This exhibition will dig into the MSA's permanent collection, its archive, and loans from private collections, in order to put the past 100 years of its artistic his- tory on display, with the aim of reconsidering the past in light of the present, and using moments of controversy, importance, strife or great merit as fragments to string together a refreshed un- derstanding of the Society's role today. The exhibition, featuring paint- ings, drawings, sculptures, instal- lations, and archival material, is organised across five galleries, each representing twenty years of history and each telling a particu- lar story. The works in each room were chosen to build a narrative and illustrate a particular frag- ment of history, memory, and therefore also identity. The artists represented all have a connection with the MSA: they've all either participated in MSA exhibitions, contributed to MSA projects in the past, been supported by the MSA or they have been involved with the MSA committee. Steering the MSA's transfor- mation as an institution and as a leading space for arts and cul- tural initiatives, was Arch. Adrian