Newly completed Gonzi portrait to be hung at Castille

Former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi took his first look this morning at a newly completed portrait of himself that will be hung at the Auberge de Castille.

Painted by artist Philippa Bianchi, the portrait depicts Gonzi standing frontally behind a desk and flanked by the Maltese and the European flags on each side. The pose and setting fits within the tradition of official portraiture.

The portrait also includes a pen given to Gonzi by Pope Benedict XVI, while the setting is the main meeting room at Villa Francia, in Lija.  

The painting will be hung alongside the other portraits of Malta’s Prime Ministers in the Cabinet Room at the Auberge de Castille. These portraits are normally paid for by the government and commissioned while the Prime Minister is in office.

However, Philippa Bianchi was commissioned to paint Gonzi's portrait by private donors and the portrait will now be handed over as a gift.