A golden thread weaves together history, art, diplomacy, and devotion along the route between Venice and Crete, a jewel of the Serenissima’s maritime empire. At the heart of the exhibition, curated by Chiara Squarcina, Andrea Bellieni, and Katerina Dellaporta, is painted gold, which lends spiritual light to icons and accompanies centuries of rich artistic exchange between the two islands. From the golden Venetian Renaissance to the 19th century, a fruitful artistic relationship unfolds, with El Greco at its center—born in Crete and arriving in Venice in 1567. The exhibition unfolds in seven chronological sections and includes a focus on the icon, explored in its technical and material aspects in collaboration with the National Institute for Nuclear Physics – CHNet Cultural Heritage Network.

The paintings come from public and private collections, including the Correr Museum and the Museum of Icons at the Hellenic Institute of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Studies.