Polystyrene statues across Valletta depicting Maltese proverbs were removed on Wednesday morning to be repaired, after they were vandalised over the weekend.

Valletta 2018 communications consultant Jean Pierre Magro said the sculptures would be repaired and returned to the capital soon.

The statues were vandalised just one day after being unveiled, with vandals undeterred by the statues' prominent location in some of Valletta's most iconic open spaces. 

Parts of the statues were cut off, and graffiti could be seen on at least one of the artworks.

READ: Valletta proverb statue gets tongues wagging online

The public installation, unveiled last Friday, saw 13 sculptures depicting specific Maltese proverbs placed around the capital.

A sculpture of a figure bent over with their head caught in an onion ('Min jidħol bejn il-basla u qoxritha jibqa' b'riħitha') proved especially controversial, prompting a variety of reactions from the public.

Vandals broke off parts of the various statues.Vandals broke off parts of the various statues.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.