The Pinacoteca Comunale of Contemporary Art “Antonio Sapone” was established in 2004 thanks to a group of cultural operators gathered under the auspices of the Novecento Cultural Association. Since 2006, it has been located in the historic Palazzo San Giacomo, built in the sixteenth century by the Florentine Spina family, near the Angevin Castle and with a splendid view of the sea, also becoming the chosen venue for the painting exhibition “Porticato Gaetano” (so named after the location that hosted the exhibition in its early editions, the portico of the Virgilio elementary school, in Piazza della Libertà).

The “Porticato” officially began in August 1958, as the culmination of a local artistic journey that started in the early fifties with the commitment of the painters of the “Amici dell’Arte” circle, with the authoritative participation of Domenico Purificato; it is a simple setup, but the quality of the works is certainly innovative and stimulating: for the first time after the war, the people of Gaeta can admire many works together, many of which are far from the local visual culture, anchored in late nineteenth-century Neapolitan painting. In 1966, the last edition of the historical period of the Porticato took place, which would be revived twenty-five years later with the sporadic editions of 1991 and 1999 (in the Angevin Castle).

Finally, in 2008, at the 20th Edition, the Direction of the “Porticato” passed to the Novecento Cultural Association. Since then, year after year (the latest edition being the 34th in 2022), the Gaeta art exhibition has become an eagerly awaited annual event in the Territory, but also an opportunity for visibility for many artists from all over Italy. In the spacious rooms of the palace, with the support of the Municipal Administration, the members of the Novecento Cultural Association have organized a prestigious exhibition space where a significant and valuable collection of national artists is hosted, along with a significant selection of works by artists linked to the southern Pontine territory.

The Collection now includes over 1000 pieces including paintings, prints, sculptures, installations, photographs, and videos. Over the years, numerous exhibitions of Masters of the Twentieth Century such as Hans Hartung, Alberto Magnelli and Ladislas Kijno, Carlo Montarsolo, Mario Persico, Andrea Sparaco, Gabriele Cena, Giancarlo Isola, Alberto Burri, have been organized and set up, making the Pinacoteca of Gaeta an important hub in the national circuit of the Visual Arts, as documented by the editorial line curated by the Novecento Cultural Association, dedicated to catalogs, biographies, essays, and prestigious publications.