Museo del Greco (El Greco Museum), Toledo

Museo del Greco (El Greco Museum), Toledo (must see)

Don Benigno de la Vega-Incian y Flaques, Marquis of Vega-Incian, who died in 1942, was one of the most important patrons of the arts of Spain. He developed several cultural projects serving a public purpose, such as the El Greco Museum (Museo del Greco in Toledo) in 1911, Cervantes' House (the Casas de Cervantes) in Valladolid in 1915, and the Museum of Romanticism (Museo del Romanticismo) in Madrid (1924).

Early in the 20th century, don Benigno bought some houses in the old Jewish section of Toledo. The houses were restored by architect Eladio Laredo and made into a reconstruction of the House of El Greco. Don Benigno created a museum with a historical atmosphere. He lived in the house until he died. It was then bequeathed to the state.

The museum enabled the gathering of works by El Greco scattered throughout Toledo. In 1925 the museum added new rooms to include Spanish paintings of the 17th century. The El Greco Museum is housed in a former hospital with Moorish ceilings. There is 17th-century furniture and pottery from Talavera de la Reina.

The collection features 13 paintings of Christ and his disciples created by El Greco between 1610 and 1614. It was a single project featuring Christ and the apostles, except that Judas is replaced by St Paul. All these works are oil on canvas measuring 97 X 77 cm. El Greco was a Mannerist painter. His real name was Domenikos Theotokopoulos.

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Museo del Greco (El Greco Museum) on Map

Sight Name: Museo del Greco (El Greco Museum)
Sight Location: Toledo, Spain (See walking tours in Toledo)
Sight Type: Museum/Gallery
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Toledo, Spain

Create Your Own Walk in Toledo

Create Your Own Walk in Toledo

Creating your own self-guided walk in Toledo is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
El Greco's Masterpieces

El Greco's Masterpieces

Domnnikos Theotokopoulos, most widely known as El Greco or "The Greek," was a Greek painter, sculptor, and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. El Greco was well ahead of his time. His dramatic and expressionistic style is regarded as a precursor of both Expressionism and Cubism of the 20th century.

El Greco was born in Crete, Greece, and studied painting in Italy. In 1577, he...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.0 Km or 1.2 Miles
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In 546, the early...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.2 Km or 2 Miles