Colour And Memory: Richard Rees Brings His Art To Malta For The First Time
Acclaimed British artist Richard Rees presents his latest “Colour and Memory” exhibition which will be available for viewing at the Phoenicia Malta until 30th October.
This marks Rees’s first-ever exhibition in Malta, bringing together a vivid collection of pastel and oil paintings that explore both Maltese and European cityscapes.
Rees, who has painted for over fifty years, currently serves as President of the UK Pastel Society and is celebrated for his masterful use of oil pastels- a medium he wields with freshness and expressive precision.
Before dedicating himself fully to art in 2012, Rees trained and worked as an architect, a background that profoundly informs his artistic vision. His works reveal an architect’s eye for form, structure, and rhythm, while also embracing the spontaneity and emotion of painterly expression.
Malta holds a special place in Rees’s creative journey. The exhibition highlights the island’s architectural charm and Mediterranean light, with scenes depicting the Mdina Cathedral dome, the fortified bastions of Fort St Angelo, and the busy harbour cranes of the Grand Harbour. Other works capture Marsaxlokk’s colourful luzzu boats, Valletta’s rooftops, and the ornate interior of St John’s Co-Cathedral, blending observation with vibrant imagination.
“Malta is such a joyous place to paint in,” Rees said. “I delight in colour and use it to heighten my experience of places. As an architect turned artist, I naturally include buildings in nearly all my work, but I always want to express their context- the life around them.”
Rees’s distinctive style blurs the line between realism and expressionism, celebrating colour, texture, and atmosphere. His work has been exhibited widely in London, including at the Mall Galleries and the Royal Automobile Club, and he is a respected teacher and contributor to international publications on pastel art.
The exhibition at The Phoenicia Malta offers visitors a rare opportunity to experience Rees’s radiant interpretations of Malta’s landscapes seen through the eyes of an artist who unites architectural precision with artistic emotion.
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