the foundry

WHO WE ARE: 

Funderija Artistika Chetcuti is the only artistic bronze foundry extant within the Maltese Islands. Located in the Hal-Luqa Industrial Estate, the Foundry is headed by Christopher Chetcuti, son of the late Joseph Chetcuti, who was a trained sculptor and painter; Joseph opened the Foundry in the early 1990s (see below for more info.)

Today, the Foundry comprises a small team of people, offering a personal, bespoke service which is tailored around artists' and clients' needs and requirements. The Foundry excels in all aspects of the bronze casting process - from mould-making to patination, and everything in between.

The Foundry is also a hub of activity - a melting pot for artists and members of the community - with  talks, workshops, or photoshoots often taking place on the premises. It is a vessel for creative exchange, dialogue and engagement - a place where magic happens.

HISTORY AND LEGACY: 

The Foundry was set up in 1993, by the late Joseph Chetcuti (1960-2019). 

Having originally set up shop in the basement of his marital home, Joseph, with the support of his family, slowly acquired a plot of land in Luqa, which he transformed into the foundry. The sculptor, Frans Galea (1945-1994), was a close friend, who became one of his first clients, entrusting him with several bronze works. Branded as Funderija Artistika Joseph Chetcuti, it is the only remaining active foundry present in the Maltese islands that can produce artistic works.

The foundry was Joseph’s livelihood; designed and built according to his specifications, it became fully operational in 1993. The space was, and still is home to countless projects, commissions and collaborations which vary greatly in terms of complexity, assembly and production processes.

At the peak of activity, there were as many as four full-timers working on the larger and more demanding of commissions, such as the monument dedicated to Grandmaster Jean de Valette, located in the square flanking the Old Opera House, now known as Pjazza Teatru Rjal. 

That is only one of many monuments and statues which Joseph and the foundry was responsible for creating and casting. Other important projects worth mentioning are: the Immaculate Conception, which can be found in Bormla; the statue for Winston Abela in Zejtun; the papier mache sculptures for the Church of Our Lady of the Lily, in Mqabba; the statue dedicated to Mater Dei by Chris Ebejer, at Mater Dei Hospital, which is the Foundry's largest  work, ever cast; The Three Graces, in Mgarr, Gozo designed by Andrew Diacono, or even the mezzafigura by Vincent Apap of Giuseppe Cali, at the Upper Barracca Gardens in Valletta.

The foundry also produced important replicas of: Alessandro Algardi’s Christ the Saviour which can be seen above the main portal of St John’s Co Cathedral in Valletta as well as a bronze replica of Antonio Sciortino’s poignant sculptural group, Les Gavroches, located in the Valletta Gardens, where the original once sat.

There are few of Joseph’s works extant in private collections, such as a sinuous nude lying on her side titled In a Pensive Mood, whereas his family has a grand stallion, caught in motion; however other works which the sculptor exchanged, are harder to record, or come by.

The Foundry houses a generous collection of the late Joseph Chetcuti's drawings, preparatory sketches, plaster casts, portraits and three dimensional works.