A quiet yet powerful tribute to one of Malta’s most distinctive modern artists is currently on display in Valletta, and it’s reshaping how we understand the narrative of Maltese art history.

The Glass Collage, now open at the Victor Pasmore Gallery, delves into a lesser-known but deeply evocative body of work by Emvin Cremona (1919–1987), one of the key figures in Malta’s modern art movement. Often referred to as his ‘broken glass series’, the artist himself described these creations more deliberately as ‘glass collages’ – a phrase that sets the tone for the entire exhibition.

Rather than dwell on what is shattered, the exhibition invites us to view this series as a process of reconstruction. It’s a reflection of the artist’s experimental spirit – taking fragments of glass and transforming them into deliberate, expressive forms. Here, glass is not simply material; it becomes a metaphor for resilience, reinvention, and the cyclical nature of destruction and creation.

The artworks speak not only of personal and artistic exploration but also mirror the political and technological tensions of the era in which Emvin Cremona worked. His fascination with materiality – particularly with the qualities and symbolism of glass –echoes through each piece, challenging viewers to reflect on what it means to piece things back together in both art and life.

The Glass Collage marks the first exhibition in a new series dedicated to celebrating the Maltese Modern Art period – a chapter in local art history that deserves greater visibility. Organised in collaboration with Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, this series will spotlight the contributions of artists like Emvin Cremona, who were not just contemporaries of international figures like Victor Pasmore, but sometimes collaborators or ideological counterparts.

Emvin Cremona’s broader body of work is already part of Malta’s visual landscape – from his stamp designs that reached international audiences, to his stunning church commissions blending Constructivist and Futurist influences. Yet The Glass Collage reveals another layer to his creative thinking: tactile, experimental, and emotionally resonant.

Whether you’re familiar with his work or discovering it for the first time, this collection offers a unique space to contemplate the relationship between fracture and wholeness, both in the artworks and in the wider narrative of art history.

The Glass Collage is on show until 12th July 2025 at the Victor Pasmore Gallery, located in APS House, 275 St Paul Street, Valletta.

The opening hours of the gallery are as follows, and tickets are available at the door:

• Tuesday to Thursday: 10:00 – 17:00 (last entry at 16:00)
• Friday: 10:00 – 19:00 (last entry at 18:00)
• Saturday & Sunday: 10:00 – 15:00 (last entry at 14:00)

Are you familiar with Emvin Cremona’s work?