Mario Zammit Lewis’s current exhibition Antologica, hosted at the parliament building in Valletta, runs until February 28.

It was officially inaugurated by Italian art critic and personality Vittorio Sgarbi who, together with Leonarda Zapulla, wrote the essays on the exhibition, titled Antolgica, which includes works from various stages in the artist’s artistic development, originating from its start in the 1960s. His oeuvre is thematically and stylistically very varied.

In Sgarbi’s words, the Maltese artist went against the grain especially in the 1960s and 1970s, at a time when abstraction was the craze and the figurative was given the cold shoulder.

Vittorio Sgarbi delivering his speech, inaugurating the exhibition.

Zammit Lewis appreciates the art of previous centuries, such as that of Caravaggio and Mattia Preti. In fact, one of his works is a homage to a Narcissus, previously attributed to Caravaggio, but now widely accepted as the work of Spadarino.

Sgarbi regards this exhibition as one in which the artist bares all via his work. He shows his emotions, his gracious disposition, his passion, his determination, his memory and much more. The Italian critic refers to this show as ‘memorial di vita’ (a life’s memorial).

Sgarbi remarks that Malta’s cultural history has many times been influenced by Italy, but the flow hasn’t been only one way, with the culture of the two countries is intimately interlinked.

Antologica runs until February 28.