Celebrating El Greco’s 400th anniversary in 2014, ACE Cultural Tours launches a new tour that places the artist in the context of his adopted hometown of Toledo and his Spanish contemporaries. As well as taking in his most important works, we visit two special anniversary exhibitions celebrating his life and career.

Our brand new Caravaggio tour for 2014 follows the artist’s footsteps through Rome, Naples, Sicily and Malta, tracing his tumultuous life and revolutionary art.

Great Spanish Masters: From El Greco to Sorolla, September 22–28 2014, £1475

Marking the 400th anniversary of the death of Doménikos Theotokópoulos ‘El Greco’, we uncover the world and works of the Great Spanish Masters. 
From the cobbled streets of sun-drenched Toledo to the artistic metropolis of Madrid we will immerse ourselves in UNESCO World Heritage sites, see hidden artworks displayed in the churches for which they were made and delve into international collections.

Our tour coincides with two exciting anniversary exhibitions:

El Greco: Art & Crafts at the Hospital of Santa Cruz, Toledo: 
A selection of outstanding El Greco works that reveal the complex relationship between the artist and his team of local craftsmen.

El Greco & Modern Painting at the Museo del Prado, Madrid:
This retrospective focuses on the influence of El Greco’s paintings on the radical artistic movements that emerged in 20th century Europe and America such as Expressionism and Cubism.

More information on our website: http://www.aceculturaltours.co.uk/tourdetails/4212

The Route of Caravaggio, October 15–24 2014, £2490

Caravaggio’s life was as tumultuous as his art was revolutionary, and we follow in his footsteps through Rome, Naples, Sicily and Malta, frequently just one step ahead of the authorities. Along the way, we admire some of the most dramatic and influential paintings in history.

We visit churches, galleries and palaces as we seek out Caravaggio’s masterpieces. Peter Higginson, expert in art history and consultant lecturer at Christie’s, leads our tour and delivers lectures along the way. Peter gained his doctorate on Caravaggio and his publications include Poverty and Papal Piety in Rome and The Pilgrims’ Experience of Old and New in Early Modern Rome.

More information on our website: http://www.aceculturaltours.co.uk/tourdetails/4197

NOTES TO EDITORS

• Established in 1958, ACE Cultural Tours is the most experienced cultural tours travel operator in the UK, offering more than 200 worldwide tours annually.
• Owned by the charitable organisation, the ACE Foundation, all of our surplus is used to support educational projects in the UK and worldwide.
• Our ATOL number is 10204, and our ABTOT number is 5237.
• Visit the ACE Cultural Tours website here: www.aceculturaltours.co.uk
• Visit the ACE Foundation website here: http://www.acefoundation.org.uk
• Contact: Kate Price Thomas, kate@aceculturaltours.co.uk