Mario Buhagiar, founder and first head of the Department of History of Art at the University of Malta, has died aged 81.
Prof Buhagiar was an art historian, author and member of the National Order of Merit, among others. He will also be remembered for setting up the youth section of Din l-Art Ħelwa together with George Serracino Inglott and heading the Malta Historical Society.
Tributes poured in over the weekend as news of his passing spread.
The department he founded expressed profound sadness over his death.
It said Prof Borg’s “memory and legacy live on in the generations of students he shaped, the inspiration he instilled in many, and in the continued pursuit of excellence in our research”.
Photo of Prof Mario Buhagiar: Superintendence of Cultural Heritage/FacebookThe Superintendence of Cultural Heritage reiterated that Prof Borg’s pioneering contributions to the study of archaeology and art history in Malta will not be forgotten.
“His lifelong dedication to Malta’s cultural heritage and his tenure as Professor and first head of the Department of History of Art at the University of Malta have left a lasting impact. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time,” the superintendence said in a Facebook post.
Similarly, Heritage Malta’s conservation division noted that through his years of teaching, research, and advocacy, Prof Buhagiar guided and formed generations of students – many of whom today serve as conservators, researchers and art historians within Heritage Malta.
“His influence lives on not only in his scholarly work, but in the professionals who continue to safeguard our patrimony. We are grateful for his dedication, wisdom, and steadfast commitment to Malta’s art and cultural heritage — shaping the very foundations of the field as we know it today.”
ReCoop-The Restoration and Conservation Coop Ltd, meanwhile, added that beyond his academic achievements, Prof Borg will be remembered for his “generosity of spirit, thoughtful guidance, and unwavering commitment to the cultural identity of our nation”.
Associate Professor Charlene Vella shared the last selfie she took with Prof Borg on his 80th birthday in January of 2025.
“He is holding his most recent publication. His worry was what will happen to his books. He was still thinking, still writing, still shaping the field he loved so deeply,” she recalled.
Vella, who called Prof Borg her “academic father”, said he was more than a scholar of medieval and Renaissance Malta. Prof Borg, she said, was a builder of foundations.
“I remain profoundly grateful for the trust he placed in me to continue nurturing and advancing the study of medieval and Renaissance art in Malta. That confidence is not something I took lightly. It is both an honour and a responsibility.
“Thank you, Mario, for your generosity of mind, for your rigour, and for your unwavering belief in the importance of our shared field. He was one of a kind. My heart is broken. May your legacy continue to guide us.”
In a comment under her post, artist and illustrator Kenneth Zammit Tabona recalled a visit to the Picasso Museum in Barcelona.
“He was in ecstasies as was I. That was Mario. Art was his life…. Another wonderful bon mot was when we were in the Cappella Palatina in Palermo, and I remarked to him that I couldn’t make out the decoration and writing in the ceiling. ‘That is because it’s not meant for you,’ replied Mario, [adding]: “it’s just for God!’
“I hope you are now at peace with the God whom you were convinced, like St Augustine, is the source of all Beauty.”