Where can you see El Greco in Madrid?

At the Museo del Prado: The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest and The Trinity. Museums move and lend their works, so check before a special journey.

What is El Greco's most famous work in Madrid?

The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest, of about 1580, at the Museo del Prado. A gentleman in black with a white ruff, his hand laid on his heart and the gilt hilt of his sword showing. No one knows who he was.

When and where was El Greco born?

In 1541, at Candia, now Heraklion, Crete. El Greco died on 7 April 1614, at Toledo, Spain, aged about 73.

What is El Greco known for?

A Greek from Crete who trained in Venice and Rome. Lived in Toledo from 1577 until his death in 1614. The Burial of the Count of Orgaz is still in its church in Toledo. El Greco was a Greek painter, of Mannerism.

Painter, 1541 to 1614

El Greco

El Greco came to Spain hoping to work for Philip II at El Escorial, and lost the king's favour with his first commission. He settled in Toledo instead, and the Prado has the best of what he painted there.

Born: 1541, Candia, now Heraklion, Crete
Died: 1614, Toledo, Spain
Movement: Mannerism
In Madrid: 2 works in 1 museum

Where to see El Greco in Madrid

Each work with the museum it hangs in. Museums move and lend their works, so check before a special journey.

Museo del Prado2 works

The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest
about 1580
A gentleman in black with a white ruff, his hand laid on his heart and the gilt hilt of his sword showing. No one knows who he was.
The Trinity
1577 to 1579
God the Father holds the dead Christ, with angels around them and the dove above, painted for a convent in Toledo in his first years in Spain.

The life of El Greco

Domenikos Theotokopoulos came to Spain in 1577 and settled in Toledo, the city of the Church, where he painted for its convents and its gentlemen for nearly forty years.

The Prado has portraits of those gentlemen, his altarpieces of the Trinity and the Resurrection, and the late, flickering Adoration of the Shepherds he painted for his own tomb.

What to know

A Greek from Crete who trained in Venice and Rome
Lived in Toledo from 1577 until his death in 1614
The Burial of the Count of Orgaz is still in its church in Toledo

Born: 1541, Candia, now Heraklion, Crete
Died: 7 April 1614, Toledo, Spain

El Greco: common questions

Where can you see El Greco in Madrid?: At the Museo del Prado: The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest and The Trinity. Museums move and lend their works, so check before a special journey.
What is El Greco's most famous work in Madrid?: The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest, of about 1580, at the Museo del Prado. A gentleman in black with a white ruff, his hand laid on his heart and the gilt hilt of his sword showing. No one knows who he was.
When and where was El Greco born?: In 1541, at Candia, now Heraklion, Crete. El Greco died on 7 April 1614, at Toledo, Spain, aged about 73.
What is El Greco known for?: A Greek from Crete who trained in Venice and Rome. Lived in Toledo from 1577 until his death in 1614. The Burial of the Count of Orgaz is still in its church in Toledo. El Greco was a Greek painter, of Mannerism.