Artist Mark Mallia, the maverick of Malta's artworld, died on Tuesday at the age of 59, his daughter confirmed. 

Mallia’s idiosyncratic abstract works have been a staple of the country's art scene for decades, often dealing with complex themes, including religion, gender, non-conformism and the psyche.

Aside from his art, Mallia was known for his extensive charity work, including working with Dar Bjorn and providing shelter for homeless people.

Spazju Kreattiv chair Rupert Cefai told Times of Malta that "aside from being a great artist, Mallia was also a great human being and a true friend to those who knew him well. He did a lot to help many".

Mark Mallia with one of his paintings. Photo: Facebook

Mallia had suffered from health problems in recent years. His passing comes just days after he suffered an aneurysm.

Daughter leads tributes

In a post on social media, his daughter Zoe, one his three children, confirmed his death.

"I'm sure a lot of you heard, as he's a popular guy, my dad, Mark Mallia, has passed away," she wrote.

"Never in my life will anyone meet another man like him, and I promise to keep his legacy going on so he will never be forgotten."

She said her father was "loved by so many people", had helped many people through his life and prided himself on being a "crazy mother f***er".

He is further survived by his son Nigel and youngest daughter Jade.

Prison helped him find his voice

Born in 1965, he became the youngest-ever painter to do a solo exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta at the age of 28. 

After a sold-out exhibition, he won a bursary to the academy of fine arts in Florence to develop his style.

But after this promising start, he became a drifter living in France and the US before he returned to Malta, initially abandoning art, according to a 2014 profile of the artist published in Times of Malta.

He painted and exhibited in Miami and Toronto, in the US, but it was after release from prison in 2012 for non-filing of VAT returns that Mallia really found his voice as an artist.

“Being in prison showed me my direction. That’s when I knew that I was going to dedicate my life to art," he said two years later.

"I taught inmates how to paint and they taught me my truth about art. Much of the stuff they were producing was excellent because at its core was their subjective truth.”

Always a flamboyant figure, Mallia cut his teeth in Malta’s 1980s music scene as the frontman of rock band Man and White.

Mallia also helped raise money for Dar Bjorn, a neurological home founded by Bjorn Formosa, who also joined tributes on Tuesday saying: “Goodbye maestro! I love you!” 

Mark Mallia, left, with Bjorn Formosa. Photo: Facebook

Tributes from worlds of art and politics

Tributes continued to flow in for the artist as news spread on social media on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Robert Abela said Malta had lost "a unique artistic talent”, while Culture Minister Owen Bonnici described Mallia as “one of the greatest artistic talents we’ve had”.“

He said he had "lost a genuine friend who always showed me huge respect,” adding that one of Mallia’s works has been hanging in his office for several years, keeping him company throughout his political career.

The artist at work. Photo: Facebook.

Opposition Leader Bernard Grech also paid tribute to Mallia, saying that he had a “brilliant way of expressing himself through his art, reflecting the frustrations and suffering that a person experiences throughout their life”.

Charles Van Maarschalkerweerd Borg, one half of fashion design duo Charles & Ron, said he was “shocked” at Mallia’s death, saying that he had filmed several of the duo’s early fashion shows.

Times of Malta's arts writer Joe Agius described Mallia as "an extremely nice man who had a brash exterior".

“He was a free spirit, an impulsive person with a very big heart," he said.