Cool pastel colours. A sense of tranquillity washes over me as I step into Galleria Cremona. The clean white walls, the unpretentious environment and the scattered artworks instil a deep sense of calm in me.
Funny how, from the outside, No. 13, Museum Road looks pretty much like any other ordinary townhouse. The only giveaways are the window exhibits and the plain marble plaque bearing the gallery’s name.
Situated just in front of Rabat’s Howard Gardens, Galleria Cremona is a stone’s throw-away from Mdina Gate and the Domvs Romana. The Silent City might have a lot to offer tourists, day-trippers or nothing-better-to-doers, yet the hour-and-a-half I spent in this gallery last Saturday was better than my usual walk around Mdina’s narrow roads... it was even better than lazing in bed watching Glee.
The gallery belongs to Marco Cremona, son and heir of Emvin Cremona – one of Malta’s pioneers of modern art. Mr Cremona has become an established artist who has won various accolades, awards, prestigious commissions over the years and has moreover exhibited his works internationally.
Yet his quiet and reserved demeanour does not really lend itself to fronting his gallery; which really is as it should be. Although many artists are more than capable in the sales department, I enjoy harbouring this romantic view of an artist laboriously at work in his studio, covered in paint stains and attacking his work as an animal would its prey.
Thus, the round-the-clock business and running of the gallery is left to his wife Marthese, whose bubbly personality and people skills makes one feel welcome and right at home.
Galleria Cremona is probably one of the oldest standing galleries in Malta. Having been founded back in 1982, it was first located in a quaint alley along Tower Street in Mosta. The move to Rabat was made in 1994; during this time, the gallery was situated just a couple of doors (No. 16) further along the same Museum Road. For a while the gallery also had a second “branch” in The Silent City – a space decidedly more rustic in feel – yet, as of 2002, No. 13 has been the home to Mr Cremona’s art.
Although I had frequently popped into the space when it was situated at No. 16, I had never visited the present gallery before. And I was surprised. The Rabat townhouse has been converted and transformed into an art space which is quite simply... gorgeous. Traces of a home have been whitewashed away – instead the focus of this gallery remain the artworks. The clean white walls, the high ceilings and the lighting remain impressed in one’s memory and only serve to enhance Mr Cremona’s works. The space gets plenty of natural light from a small back yard and skylight that follows through to the basement thanks to a partially glazed floor.
The gallery might not be equipped with state-of-the-art lighting or hanging facilities, but all the exhibits are carefully positioned, spaced and distributed throughout the many different gallery sections, while the illumination – natural or artificial and uniform throughout – allows for few shadows to be cast on the walls and adjacent artworks.
From the outside, one wouldn’t imagine that the gallery was so deep, or that there was also a more than ample basement. The latter is quite striking in size and larger than some of the galleries I visited recently in Bath or Amsterdam. The distinct spaces would also work very well with a variety of artworks and sequences, because of the natural division and compartmentalisation of the building.
I’ll have to admit that I was a little disappointed that some of Emvin’s work wasn’t showcased at the gallery – as I distinctly remember some of his larger, glass abstracts hanging in No. 16. I feel it would be appropriate to have a select number of Emvin’s works on show – his works are pertinent in the realm of his son’s artistic legacy and equally fall under the Galleria Cremona title.
Nevertheless, the gallery is an excellent showcase of the young Mr Cremona’s work – with oils, watercolours, ceramics, sculptures, bass reliefs and prints available, both in the figurative and abstract idioms. Although many have compared the art of father and son, Marco’s work has a distinct line and quality to it that has become immediately recognisable. His penchant for texture, cross-cutting linear forms and soothing pastel colours are just a few of the aspects that characterise his work. And all of these characterics are visible and palpable at Galleria Cremona.
As far as galleries go, Malta has been somewhat “challenged” so to say, presenting limited options to those in search of the modern and contemporary visual arts. Without a national museum of modern and contemporary art, the weight has fallen onto the shoulders of the few privately-owned galleries (featuring a sole artist or representative of a handful of artists) dotted around the islands.
Spanning almost 30 years since its inception, Galleria Cremona is an example to be emulated by others in this business: it also proves that the visual arts can be at the core of a fruitful business – one which does not compromise quality and standards for the sake of commerciality.
Galleria Cremona is found at No. 13, Museum Road, Rabat. Opening hours: Monday to Friday between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Weekends by appointment. For more information contact Mrs Cremona on info@galleriacremona.com or on 9946 3315.
www.galleriacremona.com