Raymond Pitrè, one of Malta's foremost contemporary artists, has died, aged 84.

His works included paintings of all of Malta's presidents and prime ministers, ceiling paintings at St Joseph parish church in Msida and Stella Maris in Sliema and five sets of Malta stamps.

But he was best known for his abstract paintings as well as sculptures.

Pitrè’s work has been exhibited internationally in London, Berlin, Florence, Copenhagen, Brussels, Palermo, Algiers, New York and Kyoto. He represented Malta at the Venice Biennale in 1999 and his work is housed in national collections and other institutions. He was made a Member of  the National Order of  Merit of the Republic of Malta in 2000 for services to art. 

Times of Malta correspondent Joseph Agius, writing in 2020 said his art "is an honest portrayal of the man: a kaleidoscope of personalities, moods changing like a Scottish day in summer."

Prime Minister Robert Abela expressed his condolences, saying Pitrè had contributed a lot to contemporary art in Malta.

"His works can be found all over the world but he was always proud of Malta" he said.

They are also due to be displayed in Malta's new contemporary art museum MICAS in the coming weeks.

"Malta remains grateful for his artistic contribution," Abela said. 

He briefly joined the Capuchin Order at a young age, then served in the police force for 12 years before dedicating himself to art.