Opposition calls for exposure of those involved in purchasing Mattia Preti painting

The Opposition has called on culture minister Owen Bonnici to release the name of the person responsible for the purchase of an alleged Preti replica painting, after doubts were raised on its originality.

The Opposition also said that the ministry should released the name of the person who settled on the price.

“In light of the controversy surrounding the painting described by Heritage Malta as a Mattia Preti painting, the public has the right to know exactly what happened and how the decisions to buy the painting were taken,” the Nationalist party said in a media statement.

It also demanded the immediate publication of Heritage Malta’s policy regarding the acquisition of national collection pieces, the procedure on the purchas of cultural property from March 2014 until now, and a market estimate of art purchased from March 2013 until now and the amount of money spent for each object purchased in this period.

Head of department of History of Art, Keith Sciberras said that the original Matti Preti painting is in a private collection in Spain

The controversy over the purchase of painting erupted following online comments made by academic Keith Sciberras.

Whilst Bonnici had trumpeted the acquisition as “a unique painting by Mattia Preti”, Sciberras, head of the department of History of Art at the University of Malta, argued that the painting was a replica from the master’s workshop.

“Just to clarify that Mattia Preti’s autograph original of the ‘Apelles painting Campaspe in front of Alexander the Great’ is in a private collection in Spain,” Sciberras wrote.