Caesar Attard
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Caesar Attard was born in Zejtun, Malta.
Caesar Attard is very conscious of his commitment as an artist. His inquisitive, complex personality has left its mark on Modern and Contemporary Art in Malta. For him, making art is both a dangerous and a revealing act. It precipitates self-doubt and steers the deep waters of his unconscious. His vision is always ahead of execution: knowledge of material is his contact with reality and uncertainty is a virtue. For Caesar, the moment of completion is inevitably a moment of loss – the loss of all other forms the imagined piece might have taken. He is always prepared to afford the unfashionable luxury of failure for he is well aware that today’s artwork does not emerge from a secure common ground. Making art now for Caesar means working in the face of uncertainty, it means living with doubt and contradiction, doing even something that few would care for, since there might be no audience or reward. He refuses the security of working in traditional, old pre-existing moulds that stunt artistic development and sublimate personal style. He prefers to remain open to risk as well as for discovery.[1]
Biography[2]
- 1959-1961: attended drawing class under Chev. Vincent Apap at the Malta Government School of Art, Valletta;
- 1964-1966: entered Major Seminary and studied at the Royal University of Malta;
- 1966-1973: attended painting and drawing classes under Chev. Esprit Barthet at the Malta Government School of Art, Msida
- 1969: became member of art group Spectrum ’67;
- 1970: started a profound friendship with sculptor Josef Kalleya;
- 1969-1972: studied at the Teacher Training College, Malta;
- 1973: appointed Teacher of Art in the Government Primary Schools;
- 1974: joined up with Josef Kalleya, Tony Sciberras, Joseph L.Mallia, and E.V. Borg to form art group Vision ’74;
- 1974: became member of art group Atelier ’56;
- 1975: curated “Innovation and Continuity – Painting and Sculpture by Josef Kalleya and Caesar Attard”, Malta Federation of Professional Bodies Centre, Paceville;
- 1975: “Search for Your Self”, a live participation at Upper Barrakka Gardens, Valletta;
- 1976-1977: edited and produced Folji, an experimental image/text newsletter of Vision ’74;
- 1977: “Human Pantographers”, a live participation inside language laboratory, De La Salle College, Cottonera;
- 1977: took part in Maltese Contemporary Art Exhibition, Libyan-Arab Cultural Centre, Valletta, with “Open-ended Meta-dimensional Field” installed in St. George Square, and with live participation “Artist as Model”;
- 1978: “The identity Card”, a live participation at the Argotti Gardens, Floriana;
- 1980: “Drawings”, personal exhibition at the National Museum of Fine Arts, Valletta;
- 1984: “Drawings and Paintings”, personal exhibition at Phoenicia Club, Sydney, Australia;
- 1986: “Drawings”, personal exhibition at the Exhibition Hall, Malta Embassy, Moscow;
- 1987: “Fear and Risk”, personal exhibition at the Gallerija Istitut Kattoliku, Floriana;
- 1987-1994: lectured on History of Art at the Upper Lyceum, Msida;
- 1988: Maltese Artists in Florence, Galleria Renzo Spagnoli, Firenze;
- 1992: “Life and Passion” personal exhibition – Drawings and Etchings, New Gallery, Auberge de Provence, Valletta;
- 1992: Actuelle Malerei aus Malta, Rathaus Hardtberg, Bonn-Duisdorf, Germany;
- 1994: “Paintings and Drawings”, personal exhibition, New Gallery, Auberge de Provence, Valletta;
- 1994-1995: taught Art practice in the Art Department at the Upper Lyceum, Msida;
- 1996: 1st Biennale of Christian Art in Malta, Cathedral Museum, Mdina, Malta;
- 1997: “Maltese Contemporary Art” Euromed – A Partnership, Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta;
- 1998: “Religion and Society in Prehistoric Mediterranean” Art Exhibition, Foundation for International Studies, University of Malta, at the National Museum of Archaeology, Valletta;
- 1999: “Re-Interpreting Preti”, National Museum of Fine Arts, Valletta;
- 1995-2011: appointed lecturer teaching art history and art practice in the Art Department at the Junior College, University of Malta;
- 2000: “Graphicon” a project consisting of painting, photography, computer in“Art in Malta Today” exhibition, at St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta;
- 2000: “3rd Biennial of Contemporary Christian art in Malta”, Cathedral Museum, Mdina, Malta;
- 2001: “Malta Crossroads of Civilization: 12 Contemporary Artists from Malta”, Palais des Nation, Geneva;
- 2002: “Maltese Contemporary Art”, Calpe 2002 Conference, Gibraltar;
- 2007: “→ “(mainly drawings), personal exhibition at the National Museum of Fine Arts, Valletta;
- 2007: “Unfinished”, in “The Philosophical Brothel” exhibition at St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta;
- 2007: “Searching for Caravaggio”, in “Caravaggio quote unquote”, Contemporary Art Exhibition, Malta Arts Festival, commemorating the 4th centenary of Caravaggio’s sojourn in Malta;
- 2008: “Caesar Attard: a Retrospective Exhibition”, Bank of Valletta, St. Venera;
- 2012: “H-ARDCORE”, personal exhibition at the Upper Galleries, St. James Cavalier Centre for the Creativity, Valletta;
- 2013: Milkshake, a collective multimedia arts project, St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta;
- 2014: Made in MT: Maltese Art Now A collective exhibition in Dar Malta, Brussels, showcasing Maltese contemporary art.;
- 2017: B/S/b (blood/spittle/blank) – including 1970s ink-drops experiment – live participation in “Human Matter”, a collective at the Malta Society of Arts, Valletta, Malta.
Exhibitions[3]
- 2017: B/S/b (Blood/Spittle/blank);
- 2014: “The Art of Acrobatics”, in Made in MT: Maltese Art Now, 2014;
- 2012: H-ardcore;
- 2008: Caesar Attard: a Retrospective Exhibition;
- 2007: “Searching for Caravaggio”;
- 2007: “Unfinished”;
- 2007: “->”, (mainly drawings);
- 2002: Maltese Contemporary Art;
- 2001: Malta Crossroads of Civilization: 12 Contemporary Artists from Malta;
- 2000: 3rd Biennial of Contemporary Christian art in Malta;
- 2000: “Graphicon”;
- 1999: Re-Interpreting Preti;
- 1998: Religion and Society in Prehistoric Mediterranean Art Exhibition;
- 1997: Maltese Contemporary Art – Euromed;
- 1996: 1st Biennale of Christian Art in Malta;
- 1994: “Paintings and Drawings”;
- 1992: Actuelle Malerei aus Malta;
- 1992: “Life and Passion”;
- 1988: Maltese Artists in Florence;
- 1987: “Fear and Risk”;
- 1986: “Drawings”;
- 1984: “Drawings and Paintings”;
- 1980: “Drawings”;
- 1978: “The identity Card”, live participation;
- 1977: “Open-ended Meta-dimensional Field”, and live participation “Artist as Model”;
- 1977: “Human Pantographers”, live participation;
- 1976-1977: Folji, an experimental image/text newsletter of Vision ’74;
- 1975: “Search for Your Self”, live participation;
- 1975: “Innovation and Continuity – Painting and Sculpture, Josef Kalleya and Caesar Attard”.
External Links
References
1 }}
| references-column-width
| references-column-count references-column-count-{{{1}}} }}
| {{#if:
| references-column-width }} }}" style="{{#if:
| {{#iferror: {{#ifexpr: 1 > 1 }}
| Template:Column-width
| column-count: {{{1}}}; -moz-column-count: {{{1}}}; -webkit-column-count: {{{1}}}; }}
| {{#if:
| Template:Column-width }} }}">