Charlene Vella, senior lecturer in the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Malta, has announced the release of her edited volume, Dynamics of Artistic Exchange in the Mediterranean in the Late Medieval and Renaissance Periods published by Midsea Books.

This collection of essays was launched at the Aula Prima, University of Malta Valletta Campus on May 21, with the evening being chaired by Mark Sagona, head of the Department of Art and Art History, and reviewed by Emanuel Buttigieg and Charles Dalli from the University’s Department of History.

This volume brings together groundbreaking research by esteemed international and local scholars, offering fresh insights into the rich and complex networks of artistic exchange that shaped the Mediterranean region during these transformative eras.

The book delves into the vibrant artistic interactions that occurred from the Late Middle Ages through to the Renaissance period, highlighting the Mediterranean as a dynamic crossroads of cultural and artistic exchange.

The book is the outcome of two highly successful conferences convened by Vella at the University of Malta Valletta Campus in March 2018 and April 2019, with an anticipated third conference in April 2020 that was unfortunately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It features 12 meticulously researched papers by leading academics, including Mario Buhagiar, Michele Bacci, Peter Humfrey, Anthi Andronikou, Paola Vitolo, Donal Cooper, Keith Buhagiar, Kayoko Ichikawa, Martina Caruana, Miquel Àngel Herrero-Cortell and Borja Franco Llopis.

Dynamics of Artistic Exchange in the Mediterranean in the Late Medieval and Renaissance Periods has been lauded for its scholarly rigour and its contribution to the field of art history.

Features 12 meticulously researched papers by leading academics

The essays offer new perspectives on how art was created, exchanged, and evolved across cultural boundaries, underscoring the Mediterranean’s role as a melting pot of artistic innovation.

Charlene Vella presenting her book during its launch at the Aula Prima of the University of Malta Valletta Campus last May.

The key themes explored in the different papers are the role of the Mediterranean as a hub for artistic exchange; the influence of cultural interactions on the development of art and architecture in regions such as Spain, Rhodes, Cyprus, different cities in Sicily, Siena, Venice, and Malta; case studies on notable artists and their works, including the artistic networks of the Antonello da Messina family; and the impact of diplomatic, commercial, and personal relationships on the flow of artistic ideas and materials across the Mediterranean.

Malta features in two of the essays too and it features again in a paper related to the Knights of the Order of St John in Rhodes and some traditions they tried to create there.

The conference is set to return to the University of Malta Valletta campus early in 2025, that will hope to see new research being presented in Malta, the centre of the Mediterranean.