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This blog is dedicated to Malta - my island home. My aim is not to bore you with history but to share my thoughts and a few facts together with a photo or two. For a more in -depth background of the island please go here. The purpose of this blog is not to point out the short-comings of the island. There are plenty that do that already. My wish is to show you the beauty of an island at the cross roads of the Mediterranean, a melting pot of history; a place where fact and fiction are sometimes fused to create unique myths and legends; a country that has been conquered so many times that our culture is a mish mesh of the lands that surround us and of lands far away. I confess that my greatest desire is to make you fall in love with this tiny enchanting island.

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Tuesday 22 October 2013

Les Gavroches

Museum of Fine Arts (44)

Les Gavroches - three Parisian urchins, immortalised forever by Antonio Sciortino, are the subject of this sculpture in bronze. Antonio Sciortino is one of Malta’s foremost sculptors. He was born in the village of Zebbug in 1879 and studied at the Istituto Reale di Belle Arti in Rome. He died in Rome  in 1947. His work is said to be influenced by Auguste Rodin and by the artistic movements of Realism and Futurism.

Les Gavroches was completed in 1904 and was placed in the Upper Barracca Gardens. In 2000 the sculpture was removed to be cleaned and restored. It now resides in the Museum of Fine Arts.

Museum of Fine Arts (45)-001

Of all the statues and sculptures in Malta this is probably my favourite. There is a sense of movement and vitality in the faces of the three gavroches that is quite engaging. It almost feels as if, like Pinocchio, they will turn into flesh and blood little boys right before our eyes. And perhaps that is why this sculpture enjoys such universal appeal – because Sciortino has captured to perfection the impish look that so often comes into little boys’ eyes.

Les Gavroches

Museum of Fine Arts, South Street, Valletta

Opening Hours

Monday to Sunday: 9.00-17.00
Last admission: 16.30
Closed: 24, 25 & 31 December, 1 January, Good Friday

4 comments:

  1. This is a delightful sculpture, thanks for the close up, it makes it easier to see the faces, you're right. How large is it?

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  2. I've seen similar pieces of children suspended in action. A few have really affected my father in a similar manner that the three gavroches have affected you.

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  3. Beautiful sculptures! Wishing you a wonderful week! xoxo, B

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  4. Nice photographed.

    Greetings, Joop

    ReplyDelete

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