Art critic and historian Emmanuel Fiorentino died yesterday at the age of 61.

Mr Fiorentino was one of Malta's leading art scholars, having studied and lectured extensively about the subject.

Born in Birkirkara, Mr Fiorentino had initially started following academic studies in medicine before dropping out and opting to study to become a teacher instead. He read for a degree in history of art at the University of London and furthered his studies at the University of Malta and the Augustinian Institute.

He served as an art critic for The Sunday Times since 1975 and published several books about art, including a book on Giuseppe Calì and another on Willie Apap.

Fellow art critic E.V. Borg, who has known him since 1974, described Mr Fiorentino as a gentle, genuine and honest individual. "There was a lot of mutual respect between us. We started studying art practically together at a time when academic art books did not exist locally," Mr Borg said.

The funeral will be held tomorrow at Our Lady of Graces Sanctuary, in Zabbar at 8.30 a.m. followed by interment in the family grave at the Santa Maria Addolorata Cemetery.