Origins of El Greco Exhibition is Inaugurated


In the presence of Their Eminences, Archbishop Demetrios of America and Archbishop Eirinaios of Crete, Pavlos Geroulanos, Greece’s Minister of Culture, Anthony Papadimitriou, President of the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation, Ambassador Loukas Tsilas, Director of the Onassis Foundation USA, and Aimilia Geroulanou, President of the Benaki Museum, the official opening of The Origins of El Greco: Icon Painting in Venetian Crete Exhibition took place last December at the Olympic Towers Atrium, New York.

“In an era of political and cultural flux, El Greco and the other very important Cretan iconographers bring back a message of hope and creativity that stems from interaction and dialogue between different cultural and geographical environments,” Mr. Papadimitriou stated in his speech. “The message is here: artistic genius will always be able to win over alienation and prejudice.”

Put together for the Onassis Cultural Center by Dr. Anastasia Drandaki, Curator of the Byzantine Collection at the Benaki Museum, Athens, The Origins of El Greco comprises of 46 exceptional works from public and private collections in Greece, Europe, the United States and Canada, many of which traveled to the U.S. for the first time. Eleven icons come from the Holy Archdiocese of Crete and it’s only the second time they are presented outside the island.

Among the Greek lenders to the exhibition are the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation, Athens; Antivouniotissa Museum, Corfu; Benaki Museum, Athens; Byzantine and Christian Museum, Athens; the Holy Metropolis Church of the Dormition of the Virgin, Ermoupolis, Syros; Collection of Ecclesiastical Art, Saint Catherine of the Sinaites, Heraklion, Crete; National Gallery of Athens; Paul and Alexandra Canellopoulos Museum, Athens; Public Library of Lefkada; Municipality of Heraklion, Crete; and Marianna Latsis Collection, Athens. Among the lenders in Europe, the United States and Canada are the Hellenic Institute of Venice; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg; and Queen's University, Kingston, Canada.

According to Dr. Drandaki, “the icon painters in the workshops on Crete in the 15th and 16th centuries were renowned for their skill in painting impeccable panels not only in the traditional Byzantine manner but also in a style inspired by Western models. Although a dialogue with Western painting was not new to Byzantine art, a number of special factors undoubtedly helped to encourage the immersion of Cretan artists in Western iconography and style, especially after the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453.” The Origins of El Greco will illuminate these fascinating developments as seen in rare panel paintings that span the course of two centuries.

An illustrated 132-page catalogue, featuring entries on each painting in the exhibition and essays by curator Dr. Anastasia Drandaki; Olga Gratziou, Professor of Byzantine Art History, University of Crete; and Nicos Hadjinicolaou, Professor Emeritus of Art History, University of Crete, has been published for the occasion and is available at the Onassis Center Gift Shop.

The exhibition is organized in collaboration with the Benaki Museum in Athens and the Archdiocese of Crete and it is exclusively funded by the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation (USA). The exhibition will be on view at the Onassis Cultural Center, 645 Fifth Avenue, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, until February 27. Entrance is on 51st or 52nd Street, between 5th and Madison Avenues, in Manhattan. Admission is free.

©2010 NEOCORP MEDIA

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