The last commissioned work by the late Ray Pitrè was inaugurated at the Malta International Contemporary Arts Space on Thursday. 

The new work, Figure in Rods, was commissioned especially for the museum. 

MICAS executive chairperson Phyllis Muscat said the commissioning and permanent placement of Figure in Rods both celebrates the artistic legacy of one of Malta’s finest artists and underlines MICAS’s mission to bring Maltese art and artists into conversation with an international artistic community.

“Our mission is to internationalise Maltese contemporary art. Pitrè’s opus today joins those of Ugo Rondinone, Cristina Iglesias and Conrad Shawcross here at MICAS, enriching our cultural offering for our visitors.”

The museum will also be opening a new educational programme for schools which will see students involve themselves in contemporary art, using works such as Pitrè’s as a reference point for artistic development.

Minister Owen Bonnici said MICAS’s commissioning of Figure In Rods was a clear declaration on the quality and significance of Maltese contemporary art. 

“This work, with its deep exploration of human identity and psychological landscapes, exemplifies not only Pitrè’s diversity of practice but also Malta’s contemporary cultural ambitions,” he said.

“Pitrè’s legacy goes beyond this extraordinary piece: he paved the way for experimental art in Malta, he widened this artistic conversation, showing how Maltese art can address universal themes. His body of work incorporates the essence of what MICAS is promoting: art that engenders a Maltese experience can find a global audience.”

The temporary display exhibition, curated by the Washington-based Maltese art historian Joseph Paul Cassar, a leading expert on modern and contemporary Maltese art, is open to paying visitors at MICAS, who get to enjoy access to the Joana Vasconcelos exhibition (open until 31 March 2025), and other works by Conrad Shawcross and Ugo Rondinone.