National Museum of Fine Arts
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
National Museum of Fine Arts (South Street, Valletta) — The palace (which served as a residence to successive knights of the Order of St John) was officially inaugurated as the National Museum of Fine Arts in 1974. It has since been Malta’s most important museum for the arts. Highlights from the collection on display include paintings by leading local and internationally acclaimed artists, precious Maltese silverware, statuary in marble bronze and wood, fine furniture items and splendid maiolica pieces. The collection also includes works by Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851) and Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902), Valentin de Boulogne (1591-1632), Jusepe Ribera (1591-1652) and Guido Reni (1575-1642). The large piano nobile halls house works of art from the Early Renaissance to the High Baroque with a focus on the works by the Italian Baroque painter Mattia Preti (with this museum displaying the largest collection of his works).
Hours: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm (daily). Admission: €5 (adult), €3.50 (youths/12-17 years; seniors; and students), €2.50 (children ages 6-11), free for those under 6 years.