Tuzzana V, by Ebba Von Fersen Balzan

Iniala5 Galleries are holding an exhibition to mark the years since the demise of Maltese German artist Ebba von Fersen Balzan. This is the first in a series of exhibitions that will showcase Ebba’s extensive and varied collection of art from her short but incredibly productive artistic career.

Ebba grew up in Darmstadt and started painting at an early age. She studied German literature at Frankfurt University and later at the Westend Academy of Art in Frankfurt.

In 1987, she moved to Malta after marrying Saviour Balzan. Ebba fell in love with Malta at once; she remained attached to Germany and her friends, but she chose Malta as her first home.

The light, the stones, the rocks, the island’s colours and its people inspired her to experiment with her art and to use ‘her’ choice of colours. Ebba was above everything else an experimental artist. She gained a reputation for the use of mixed media and lino prints.

The light, the stones, the rocks, the island’s colours and its people inspired her to experiment with her art

Her studio in Naxxar and Brittany are living example of these works. Over the years she organised several exhibitions in Germany, France, Italy, America, and of course Malta. In 1997, together with her husband, she set up an art studio in Brittany, France, and in 2004 she opened a gallery in Brittany, which she called Galerie 22320.

Together with other artists she portrayed landscapes, nudes, episodes in Maltese culture, music and life, temples in Malta and Brittany. Most importantly, she was intrigued by animals and nature. A spiritual person, she shared a strong belief that behind the beauty and strength of nature, was some inexplicable force.

Indeed, her other big loves were her animals, especially the Maltese kelb tal-fenek (Pharaoh Dog); they were attached to her and she to them. Otto, Oskar and Trulla were her heroes and they featured in a series of cartoon strips.

In fact, one of the unfinished projects she had planned was a series of ‘portraits’ of dogs. Her last painting project was in December, when she finished 32 paintings in a span of three weeks, despite her illness, which allowed her to work for only some hours a day.

But in the last three years of her illness, she worked round the clock and organised several exhibitions in Malta and abroad. Ebba was also involved in running the left-wing Friedrich Ebert Stiftung foundation (FES) in Malta, until her death.

Through FES she worked relentlessly with Malta university and social partners by sponsoring studies and projects. She worked to promote studies on women’s issues and the integration of migrants in Malta. On a personal level she was a bon vivant, gregarious and a lover of life, good cuisine and good wine and was renowned for her intricate dinner parties. 

The exhibition runs at Iniala Pop-Up Gallery in Valletta.