Sandro Debono has recently been recognised by the Italian state for his contributions with the coveted Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia.

This is the second-highest civilian honour awarded to Italian and non-Italian nationals who distinguish themselves in the promotion and fostering of friendship and collaboration initiatives between Italy and, in this case, Malta.

The award acknowledges, among other things, research and contribution to knowledge and is awarded by the president of the republic on the proposal of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Having collaborated with Italian universities and cultural heritage institutions for many years, Debono is considered an authority in contemporary museology straddling theory and practice.

In the past, he also curated major exhibitions in Italian museums and heritage sites, including the Gallerie Nazionali Barberini Corsini in Rome (2017) and Palazzo Vecchio in Florence (2018), as well as his active exchanges with Italian museums, especially when he was senior curator at the National Museum of Fine Arts, now MUŻA.

The award acknowledges, among other things, research and contribution to knowledge

The first-ever international exhibition entirely dedicated to Mattia Preti was held in Malta at the palace in 2013, with loans from close to 30 museum institutions from all over Europe, including the Louvre (Paris), Museo Nacional del Prado (Madrid) and Musei Vaticani (Rome). The exhibition was acknowledged by leading Preti scholar John Spike as the most ambitious among those held that same year to commemorate the fourth centenary from the artist’s death. 

Debono is Malta’s national representative at the European Museum Academy and sits on the international advisory board of the Anchorage Museum, Alaska, the US. He also has other advisory roles with companies and start-ups in the cultural heritage and museum industry, particularly in Italy. 

He is a senior visiting lecturer within the Department of Arts, Open Communities and Adult Education, Faculty of Education, University of Malta.

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