Joseph Barbara


Upon meeting and spending some time with Joseph, one would describe him as a soft-spoken individual emanating a calm aura around him.

He studied art at the State School of Art from 1967 to 1972 under the late Carmenu Mangion.

When left to his own devices, Joseph likes to paint in a surrealistic and prismatic style. His preferred medium is acrylic, but sometimes he mixes in other materials.

In the 1980s Joseph Barbara began to reuse all sorts of scrap material and plastic water bottles, knowing that they are a hazard when returned in the environment. It is amazing to see the stunning figure sculptures and installations Barbara creates.

Barbara has been painting and drawing aspects of Maltese life and landmarks for decades but his oeuvre spans many other themes, too, as he gets inspiration from dreams, books and a wealth of real life experiences.

His first exhibition dates from 1980. Since then his work has been on show worldwide in countries such as Australia, Italy, Germany, China and Hong Kong.

With and thanks to Joseph Barbara surrealism, the 20th-century’s longest lasting art movement, lives on – and it might just do so, for the very first time, in the shape of a bettija’rt!.


“Meditrina celebrates the Maltese vintage”

by Joseph Barbara

Barbara’s bettija’rt is a vibrant depiction of  Meditrina, the Roman goddess of health, longevity and good wine.

She features prominently in Barbara’s barrel painting and is seen pouring wine to the cheering crowd whilst  celebrating our Maltese heritage, culture and the arts, in a domineering position over the fertile local landscape where hand-picked grapes have been grown traditionally for hundreds if not thousands of years.

The artist’s oeuvre is usually inspired by his dreams, books and a wealth of real life experiences. The inventiveness for Barbara’s bettija’rt, too, is very personal.

Joseph describes his inspiration as follows. “In the 1950’s, when I was a little boy, there always used to be a bottle of wine taking centre stage on the dinner table, having a pretty lady’s face on its front label. I used to wonder who the lady is. So, this time, I took  the opportunity to paint the mysterious lady as I always imagined her to be in normal life, on the one hand, and as the incarnation of Meditrina in Malta, on the other hand.”

The ten artist finalists for this year’s 2019 Bettija’rt | wine.art.living are Joseph Barbara, Claire Attard Vella, David Xuereb, Caroline Said Lawrence, Carmel Bonello, Zack Ritchie, Francis Galea, Priscilla Gatt, Donald Camilleri and Sara Pace.

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