Domenicos Theotokopoulos (El Greco) between Venice and Rome.

The island of Crete, which is the birthplace of Renaissance master Domenicos Theotokopoulos - better known as El Greco – is kicking off a round of exhibitions in Greece for El Greco Year. The Greek tribute to the painter, marking the 400th anniversary since the old master's death, opens today with the inauguration on June 20 of the exhibition "Domenikos Theotokopoulos between Venice and Rome" at the Historical Museum of Crete in Heraklio.

El Greco Year will also be celebrated with events in other museums in Greece, such as the National Gallery, the Alex Mylonas Museum – Macedonia Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Byzantine & Christian Museum. In addition to 24 works of art on loan from Italy, Spain, Austria, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, many of El Greco’s famous paintings are included in the round of exhibitions. Amongst them are “"Luke the Evangelist" and "The Adoration of the Magi (Shepherds)"from the Benaki Museum.

The exhibition is officially opened at the Historical Museum at 8:00pm on Friday, 20th June 2014 by El Greco Year Organizing Committee President Lina Mendoni, General Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, with HE Mr. Alfonso Lucini Mateo, Spanish Ambassador to Greece, in attendance. The Benaki Museum is to be represented by its director, Professor Angelos Delivorias.

Admission to the temporary exhibition D. Theotokopoulos between Venice and Rome is free, as is attendance at sessions of the international academic symposium on El Greco: The Cretan Years.