Ortega House

The project of the Ortega House, created by the Zètema Foundation of Matera, was conceived with the twofold aim of documenting the presence in Matera of the great Spartan artist Josè Ortega and of promoting the rediscovery and enhancement of the local artisan tradition. The exhibition areas host the works created by Ortega in the 70s, during his stay in Matera, and entrusted by him to friends of the La Scaletta club. These are twenty polychrome bas-reliefs that make up the two narrative series “Passed and Death and Birth of the innocent”. Ortega made these panels in collaboration with the master craftsmen of Matera using the ancient technique of papier-mache in an innovative way and it is these pictorial productions that constitute the guiding thread of the project that wants to highlight the importance of the link between noble art and ancient crafts. .