Some 40 carefully chosen juxtapositions of masterpieces by both artists trace a dialogue that ranks among the most fascinating in art history. This publication brings Pablo Picasso's (1881-1973) encounter with the Cretan-born old master Doménikos Theotokópoulos, better known as El Greco (1541-1614), vividly to life. El Greco's unmistakable painting style won him considerable fame in his day. Soon after his death, however, his work was largely forgotten. It was only around 1900 that an El Greco revival was launched, with Picasso advancing the cause. His engagement with the Greek-Spanish master not only went far deeper than has previously been assumed but also lasted much longer. From his first encounter with El Greco's works shortly before 1900 until the end of his life, Picasso not only referenced but engaged in a fascinating artistic dialogue with the old master.

The KUNSTMUSEUM BASEL houses the oldest public art collection in the world. For the exhibition, curators Carmen Gimenez and Josef Helfenstein bring together prestigious loans from around the world with a core group of Picasso's works from their own collection.

»El Greco continued to inspire Picasso into his late career, which has been much less discussed than his influence on the earlier work.«