Frank Portelli (1922-2004) was a mural artist and fine art painter from Malta whose work was exhibited at the
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...
in 1958.
Within a few months after his death, one of his murals was also acquired by
Heritage Malta
Heritage Malta ( mt, Patrimonju Malta) is the Maltese national agency for museums, conservation practice and cultural heritage. Created by the Cultural Heritage Act, enacted in 2002, the national agency replaced the former Museums Department.
Or ...
for the country's national art collection.
Education
Portelli started attending the School of Art in Valletta when he was 13 years old. There, along with fellow artist
Antoine Camilleri, he studied under the Caruana Dingli brothers,
Edward
Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”.
History
The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...
and
Robert
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
, and Karmenu Mangion.
He distinguished himself at the School of Art in 1947, earning a scholarship to study at
Leicester College
Leicester College is a further education college in Leicester, England. It is one of the largest colleges in the UK, with more than 26,000 students, 1,600 staff, plus an annual budget of over £50million.
It has three main campuses in the city ...
in England.
Career
The foremost work from he early career is an autobiographical work he started in 1944, immediately following the death of his father.
After he completed his formal studies, in 1951 he co-founded the Modern Art Circle in Malta. With this group he made his first public appearance at the Malta Society of Art's Palazzo de la Salle in 1952.
The Modern Art Circle was later rebranded as the Modern Art Group and Atelier 56.
In 1957 he was one of six modern artists from Malta selected to exhibit at the first ever Malta pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 1958. His painting ''Resurrezione'' signed and dated 1957 was exhibited prominently in Venice and appeared on an official postcard issued by organizers.
Throughout the 1960s Portelli created a number of murals for the nascent tourism industry. One of these, called Maltese Crafts, was created for the Melliħa Bay Hotel in 1969, and acquired for Malta's national art collection in 2004.
Personal life
In 1952 he married Rosa née Attard. They had three children: Henri (b. 1953), Simone (b. 1956) and Sharonne (b. 1958).
Frank Portelli died on 13 March 2004.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Portelli, Frank
Maltese artists
1922 births
2004 deaths
Muralists
20th-century Maltese painters
Maltese expatriates in the United Kingdom