On the occasion of the quatercentenary of Domenikos Theotokopoulos’ death, the Benaki Museum is honoring the great Greek painter with two separate exhibitions, scheduled to run until March 3.

The first exhibition, titled Friends and Patrons of El Greco in Toledo is being held at the main building of the museum and focuses on the presentation of the intellectuals, collectors and patrons who constituted El Greco’s personal close circle in Toledo, inspiring and supporting him, throughout his creative journey.

The exhibition comprises important archival material from archives in Toledo (Archivo Municipal de Toledo, Archivo Provincial de Toledo, Biblioteca de Castilla-La Mancha) and Madrid (Archivo Historico de Protocolos de Madrid), manuscripts and books from the National Library of Spain (Biblioteca Nacional de Espana), as well as four portraits of El Greco from the collections of the Museo del Prado, the Museo del Greco in Toledo as well as from a private collection in London.

The second exhibition, titled “Domenikos Theotokopoulos between Venice and Rome” is being held at Pireos Street Annexe and focuses on the two panels of the painter’s Italian period which are kept in Heraklion. These are The Baptism of Christ, which belongs to the Municipality of Heraklion, and the View of Mt Sinai and the Monastery of St Catherine, which was purchased by Andreas & Maria Kalokairinou Foundation in 1991.

This exhibition will present for the first time in Greece the El Greco’s painting “A Boy Blowing a candle” from the Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte in Naples.

Due to an increased interest in both exhibitions, organised tours or group visits of over 10 people have to be programmed in collaboration with the Benaki Museum.