The Barbella Art Museum, housed in the seventeenth-century Palazzo Martinetti in the historic center of Chieti, was established in the 1970s thanks to substantial donations from contemporary artists and works coming from churches and convents in Chieti.
The collection is divided into 5 sections: paintings from the 15th to the 19th century, the sculptures of Barbella, drawings on paper, paintings from the Michetti prize, and the maiolica of Castelli.
In the first part of the journey, dedicated to painting, frescoes from the destroyed church of St. Domenico in Chieti are exhibited, some panels from the 15th century, a large group of Neapolitan canvases (17th-18th century), and 19th-century paintings, including works by the Abruzzese artists Cascella and Michetti.
The second section displays the sculptures of the Chieti-born Costantino Barbella: sketches and terracottas representing the agro-pastoral world, and some bronzes, including the funerary sculpture “Death”.
The third section preserves works on paper from the 18th-19th century; it ranges from the scenographic sketches of the Bibiena family to watercolors that reproduce typical Abruzzese costumes.
The fourth section exhibits on rotation works coming from the Michetti National Painting Prize of Francavilla a Mare (CH) and the Paglione donation, dedicated to contemporary art.
The final room contains the collection of maiolica of Prof. Paparella-Treccia, dedicated to the main representatives of ceramic production in Castelli.
Information about the Costantino Barbella Art Museum
Via Cesare De Lollis, 10
66100 Chieti (Chieti)
0871330873
museo.barbella@provincia.chieti.it
https://www.provincia.chieti.it
Tuesday and Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.; Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.; every first Sunday of the month 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Free admission
Source: MIBACT
