Almost sixty years have passed since Achille Pace realized his dream of giving his city a Gallery of Contemporary Art. He, a painter working in Rome in the field of historical abstractionism and informal art, together with Uncini, Biggi, Carrino, Frascà and Santoro, formed in Termoli in 1962, at the suggestion of Giulio Carlo Argan, Palma Bucarelli and Nello Ponente, the Gruppo Uno in which he worked until 1964. It is in this cultural atmosphere of research and experimentation that Pace, together with the fundamental support of the town council, founds the Termoli Prize, a contemporary art award of the town of Termoli. Today the collection consists of more than 470 works, mostly paintings on canvas, but also sculptural works, made with various techniques and materials.
The MACTE is the result of the renovation and redesign of an old local market. Of the previous structure remains the plan of the building with a large circular central area where there was a small open-air square; in the side modules, once used for selling, today there are seven exhibition rooms that house the Termoli Prize Collection. The central area of the Termoli Museum of Contemporary Art allows the space to be organized in a flexible manner. This is in line with the museum's mission: temporary exhibitions of different sizes and types, welcoming the public and inviting them to feel the museum as a lively place for meeting and cultural dialogue.
Through a linear and consequential path, the public can visit the exhibition space dedicated to temporary exhibitions from the ticket office. Finally, they can observe the permanent exhibition with the works of the Termoli Prize. Dr. Laura Cherubini has created the exhibition itinerary of the Termoli Prize Collection. Organized according to a chronological and thematic criterion, the path wants to show the masters and the main artistic movements from 1950 to today. The didactic room is the place for the development of creative activities and deepening of contemporary art for children and adults.