HSBC Vincenzo Bonello art library completed

The HSBC Vincenzo Bonello art library is now open at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta. The library is a valuable source of reference material for researchers and curators as it houses important and rare archives and books.

The three-year restoration project was entirely funded by the HSBC Cares for Malta's Heritage Fund. HSBC is the official patron of the National Museum of Fine Arts which is run by Heritage Malta. The restoration project consisted of the construction of a new library - a two-tier structure with a split level housing the Museum's archives. The lower part houses the library catalogued on the Online Public Access Catalog. The library also includes a collection of exhibition leaflets and brochures, journals and inventory cards.

Over the past four years, the HSBC Cares for Malta's Heritage Fund contributed approximately €100,000 to the National Museum of Fine Arts for ongoing refurbishment projects, including the development of the lower galleries and the setting up of the library.

"The HSBC Cares for Malta's Heritage Fund was set up specifically to sponsor and raise funds for the conservation of Malta's extraordinary national heritage," said HSBC's CEO Alan Richards. "Our partnership with the National Museum of Fine Arts and Heritage Malta has made a real difference to this precious museum. On behalf of HSBC, I am delighted that we have been able to support the opening of the HSBC Vincenzo Bonello library, which is yet another important milestone to ensure that references to Malta's treasures are preserved for future generations."

Heritage Malta chairman Joe Said said: "The HSBC Vincenzo Bonello Art Library represents a significant upgrade to the research facilities that the museum offers. Heritage Malta is after such synergies that can help provide an improved level of service not only to visiting tourists but also to the local community. Museums should not only be an attraction but also a fun and enjoyable learning experience. At the National Museum of Fine Arts, this is becoming possible also thanks to HSBC."