The Grandeur of El Greco Shines Again at the Prado

In 1577, Doménikos Theotokópoulos was an unknown painter. Newly arrived at the Spanish court, the commission for an unusual altarpiece for the church of the Santo Domingo el Antiguo Monastery in Toledo showcased his genius and grandeur. Known since then as El Greco, the Cretan painter completed nine works that were later dispersed. The Prado Museum has managed to gather eight of them to celebrate and highlight the greatness and genius of the painter, a cornerstone of the collection, who spent a couple of centuries in the limbo of the misunderstood.

"It is a small, chamber-like, but historic exhibition," says Leticia Ruiz, head of the Spanish Renaissance painting collection at the Prado and curator of the exhibition, which will be on display until June 15. She has managed to gather eight of the nine pieces painted by El Greco between 1577 and 1579. Among them, 'The Assumption', the large central painting of the main altarpiece, stands out. Since 1906, it has been part of the Art Institute of Chicago's collection and had not been exhibited in the Spanish gallery since 1902.

Arriving in Spain two weeks ago under exceptional security measures, the canvas is displayed in the central gallery of the Prado, flanked by the two works of the grand altarpiece preserved in the museum's collection, those loaned by the Cistercian nuns in an exceptional loan, and works from private collections. These include the four saints of the side panels—Saint John the Baptist, Saint John the Evangelist, Saint Bernard, and Saint Benedict—in the upper body 'The Trinity', 'The Resurrection', 'The Adoration of the Shepherds', and a coat of arms made on wood that was placed above the central painting, covered with a 'Holy Face' also by El Greco.

This is the first exhibition curated by Ruiz upon her return to the museum where she trained after her time at the Royal Collections Gallery. "It is an extraordinary historical event that allows us to enjoy an exceptional ensemble of El Greco's first production in Spain," Ruiz highlights. "These are eight masterpieces in the history of painting. Bringing them together has been difficult and represents a milestone, as it will be very difficult to achieve again," she insists.

In 1577, El Greco had obtained the two most significant commissions of his career up to that point. One was 'The Disrobing of Christ' for the Toledo Cathedral. The other was the three altarpieces for the Cistercian monastery in Toledo, one of the oldest monastic communities in the Imperial City. It was created by María de Silva (1513-1575), a Portuguese lady who served Empress Isabella of Portugal, wife of Charles V. The altarpiece was commissioned by Diego de Castilla (c. 1507-1584), dean of the Toledo Cathedral, at the suggestion of his son Luis de Castilla (c. 1540-1618), who had met the painter in Rome.

"With this work, El Greco modifies the structure of the reticular altarpiece, changes, and makes a qualitative leap with a large central canvas, 'The Assumption', surrounded by pieces that gaze upon it. It is dazzling because El Greco had never worked in large formats before. He had spent ten years in Italy, three of them in Venice, absorbing Titian's working methods, and amazed both locals and foreigners with his altarpieces; he is a very intelligent painter and very aware of his discoveries," the curator asserts.

The pieces gathered in the central gallery of the Prado, thanks to the sponsorship and the foundation of friends of the Museum, are in an "extraordinary" state of conservation.

In 1830, the infant Sebastián Gabriel de Borbón acquired them for 3,000 reales. Both works were confiscated in 1836 by the Isabeline government and deposited in the Museum of Trinidad in 1838. 'Saint Bernard' was returned to the infant in 1861 and sold in 1890 in Paris by the Duke of Dúrcal, his son. It then passed through several owners until it was deposited in the National Gallery of Berlin in 1943. At the end of World War II, it was confiscated as war booty and taken to the Soviet Union. Currently, it is exhibited in the Hermitage Museum. 'Saint Benedict' was not returned to the infant and in 1872 it moved from the Museum of Trinidad to the Prado.

In 1830, the work was acquired by the sculptor Valeriano Salvatierra, a key figure in the emerging art market. In June 1832, he sold it to Ferdinand VII for 15,000 reales for the Royal Museum, now the Prado.

In 1961, the painting was dismantled from its altarpiece and sold in 1964 to a private collection.

'The Resurrection' presents Christ triumphant over the place where he was buried and guarded by soldiers. El Greco based it on compositions by various Italian masters and created a unique and personal work, full of dynamism. He only repeated this theme, which can be seen in the Prado's rooms. In the upper plane, the serene and majestic presence of Christ stands out, an Apollonian figure with tight modeling and marked anatomy. El Greco also introduced Saint Ildefonso, a figure with clearly individualized features, showcasing El Greco's prodigious painting technique at that first moment in Spain.

'The Adoration of the Shepherds' is this canvas where El Greco portrays himself, kneeling in the foreground, and also painted his son, in yellow robes. It was acquired in 1956 by Emilio Botín Sanz de Sautuola y López and is part of the Botín Foundation Collection.