El Greco Museum, Toledo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
El Greco Museum

View of the El Greco Museum in Toledo, Spain
Location	Toledo, Spain

The El Greco Museum (called Museo del Greco in Spanish) is a special place in Toledo, Spain. It celebrates the amazing painter El Greco. His real name was Domenikos Theotokopoulos (1541–1614). He was born in Fodele, Crete, but he lived most of his life in Toledo.

Explore the El Greco Museum

The museum first opened its doors in 1911. You can find it in the old Jewish Quarter of Toledo. The museum has two main parts. One is a house from the 1500s with a lovely courtyard. The other is a newer building from the early 1900s, which is the main museum. There's also a beautiful garden to explore.

The old house is designed to look like El Greco's own home. His original house doesn't exist anymore. Inside the museum, you'll see many of El Greco's paintings. Most of these are from his later years. The museum also displays art by other Spanish artists from the 1600s. You can also see furniture from that time and pottery from Talavera de la Reina.

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  Entrance

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  Courtyard

See El Greco's Famous "Apostolado"

One of the most important collections here is the Apostolado by El Greco. This is a complete series of 13 paintings. They show Jesus Christ and his 12 main followers, called disciples. El Greco and his workshop created these paintings between 1610 and 1614. They were made for the Hospital de Santiago in Toledo.

This series was planned as one big project. In the paintings, Christ looks straight out at you. Six of the disciples look to the left, and six look to the right. The series includes Christ's 12 original followers. However, Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus, is replaced by Saint Paul. All these artworks are oil paintings on canvas. Each one is about 97 x 77 cm in size.

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  View of gallery

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  Christ as Saviour

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  Saint Peter

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  Saint Paul

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  St John the Evangelist

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  Saint James the Greater

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  Saint Bartholomew

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  Saint Thaddeus (Jude)

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  Saint Simon

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  Saint Matthew

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  Saint Thomas

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  Saint Philip

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  Saint James the Less

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  Saint Andrew

More Amazing Artworks

Besides the Apostolado, the museum has other paintings by El Greco. You can also see works by different Spanish artists.

Want to Learn More?

In Spanish: Museo del Greco para niños

• Museum of El Greco, Fodele, Crete (El Greco's birthplace)
• List of paintings by El Greco
• List of single-artist museums