The National Art Gallery of Valletta is located on South Street right in the centre of the capital. It occupies a historic mansion commissioned by one of the Knights of the Order in the 16th century.
This palace is considered one of the first buildings erected in Valletta. Between 1761 and 1765 it was rebuilt in the Rococo manner for the aristocrat Ramon de Souza y Silva. When Malta was occupied by the French, the mansion was used as a seminary. After the French left, the house belonged for some time to the naval commander Alexander Ball. At the beginning of the XIX century, the palace hosted an honoured guest - Louis Charles, Viscount de Beaujolais, who was related to the French king. It was here that de Beaujolais died. In 1821, the mansion was converted into the residence of a British admiral. The building has been called the Admiralty ever since. It was only in 1961 that the mansion ceased to be an administrative building and was closed for renovation. Thirteen years later, in 1974, a large art collection was moved here from Auberge Provence, which did not fit into the Archaeological Museum opened within its walls. Thus, the Maltese government established another museum in Valletta - an art museum.
The museum's exhibition is based on the collection of the art historian Vincenzo Bonnelo, formed in the early 20th century. Bonnelo, who bought art canvases at various European auctions, was most interested in paintings from the Baroque period. Works by Italian artists such as Guido Reni, Mattia Preti, Caravaggio and Perugino are widely represented here. Several rooms display paintings by Maltese masters. There are also interesting collections of antique furniture and majolica made in Sicily.
