Cultural activities

«El Greco’s Portrait». Symposium Hibernia to Iberia

«El Greco’s Portrait». Symposium Hibernia to Iberia El Greco. Fragmento de Expulsión de los mercaderes del Templo. Instituto de Arte de Minneapolis (EE. UU.)

This lecture will examine some aspects related to the portraits created by Domenikos Theotocopoulos El Greco (Candia-Crete, 1541/Toledo, 1614). An unconventional and unique artistic figure, born and educated in the Post-Byzantine tradition of his native Crete, he became an Italian artist when working for important patrons in Rome and Venice. In the last part of his career, he settled in Toledo where he created some of the most important portraits of the late 16th century. Considered quintessentially “Spanish”, the lecture will reconsider them as a consequence of El Greco’s original and unique approach to artistic creation.


Fernando Marías is Emeritus Professor at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain), where he was previously full professor, since 2020. He is a member of the Spanish Real Academia de la Historia, Vicepresident of the CISA Andrea Palladio in Vicenza and editor of its Annali di architettura. An internationally recognised authority in the art and architecture of Italy and Spain (XV-XVIII centuries), he is interested in artistic theory and practice, and in particular the art of El Greco and Velázquez.

This lecture is part of the Panel II of the Symposium Hibernia to Iberia: A Symposium celebrating the career of Dr Peter Cherry, Scholar and Teacher, organized to celebrate the retirement of esteemed colleague and renowned expert on Spanish art, Dr Peter Cherry. Former lecturer in the Department of History of Art and Architecture, Dr Cherry’s contributions to scholarship and teaching are internationally recognised.  

See the websites of the National Gallery of Ireland and Trinity College for free tickets and further details.

Organizers