Casa Museo Federico Spoltore

Casa Museo Federico Spoltore preserves the Lanciano birthplace and studio of the portraitist Federico Spoltore (1902–1988). The rooms contain furnishings and works from across his career, including portraits, murals and later abstract paintings.

Why it matters

The house museum presents Spoltore's art within the domestic setting where he was born and lived. Its four levels preserve reception rooms, the dining spaces and the artist's studio in the tower.

What to notice

Portraits on canvas share the rooms with murals painted directly onto the walls in the 1950s. Later works show Spoltore's movement toward abstraction. The tower studio preserves the setting and tools of his work, while a marble plaque marks the house at its entrance.

Context and history

Federico Spoltore was born in Lanciano on 18 July 1902, studied in Rome and developed a career as a portraitist. His sitters included political and religious figures, and his portrait of Pope Pius XII served as the official image for the 1950 Holy Year. In later decades his work became more abstract and symbolic. He died in the house on 15 April 1988. The palazzo, dating in part to the 19th century and incorporating older dwellings, was recognised as a museum in 2001 and is maintained by the Associazione Museo Federico Spoltore.