La Casa di Ortega - museo d'arti applicate
House museum in the Sasso Barisano of Matera dedicated to José Ortega, with twenty polychrome bas-reliefs and a workshop of applied arts.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
La Casa di Ortega stands in the Sasso Barisano, in a 17th-century palazzo built over an ancient Lombard fortress. It was remodelled at the end of the 17th century and stood empty for more than thirty years after the laws on the rehabilitation of the Sassi. The Spaniard José Ortega bought part of it in the 1970s; after his death, his heirs donated the house to the Fondazione Zétema, on condition that it be used as a museum. The restoration was largely financed through a fundraising campaign.
The museum pays tribute to Ortega’s presence in Matera and promotes local craft traditions. It houses twenty polychrome papier-mâché bas-reliefs, made in 1975 and arranged in two narrative series, “Passarono” and “Morte e nascita degli innocenti”. The rooms are arranged like a home (dining room, bedroom, living room, kitchen) and furnished with works by local craftspeople, including the ceramics of Giuseppe Mitarotonda.
In November 2024 the collection was enriched with two previously unseen works: a canvas from 1968 and the large mural “El 23-F” (1981–1982), dedicated to the attempted coup in Spain on 23 February 1981.
Highlights
- Twenty polychrome papier-mâché bas-reliefs by José Ortega (1975)
- Mural “El 23-F” (1981–1982)
- Rooms furnished like a home, with works by local craftspeople
- Ceramics by Giuseppe Mitarotonda
- Palazzo built over an ancient Lombard fortress
Permanent exhibition
- Bassorilievi di José Ortega – Twenty polychrome papier-mâché bas-reliefs in two narrative series, with works by local craftspeople and the mural “El 23-F”.
- Operated by
- Fondazione Zétema
- Visitors per year
- approx. 5,250
Admission & discounts
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Accessibility
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Kids & families
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Getting there & parking
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Amenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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