The Wooden Sculptures Museum
The Wooden Sculptures Museum at the centre of Crete and at the foot of the sacred mountain of Psiloritis is a permanent collection of the sculptor George Koutantos. It works both as a Museum and Workshop and is the outcome of twenty years of involvement with sculpture. The opening of the Museum took place on March 14, 2010.
In Axos Milopotamou of Crete (Greece), within an hour distance both from the city of Rethymno (45 km) and the city of Heraclion (43 km), in a natural landscape, more than one hundred handmade work arts made from a hummer and a chisel are exhibited in a new two-storey building 400 s.m.
The visitor has the opportunity to tour the museum and the workshop and find out the aesthetic and artistic proposal, traditionalelements (activities of the inhabitants of Crete/Greece in a society that is changing constantly and dramatically, customs and traditions) folklore elements (for example, the marking of the animals), sociological data (the family structure, the position of man and woman), historical evidences (for example, inside the trunks of the trees which were collected from the monasteries of Arkadi and Vosakos I discovered many bullets from the revolution of the Greeks against the Turks), etc. Visiting the museum can be combined with significant antiquities of Axos, which has a continues history of 4000 years, as well as other notable places in the region.
The dimensions of the sculptures are in a natural size, while some of them are presented in bigger dimensions, such as «The Eagle and the Snake» approximately six metres long, «My Parents and I» approximately three metres height, «The Little Mermaid» five metres long.
The timbers were collected from different parts of Crete, mainly dead trees or eradicated from natural destructions.
Little words from the sculptor itself…
“I, George Koutantos of John and Mary, was born on May 21, 1981. When I was nine years old my family went Day in a field to celebrate the Labour Day and the coming of spring. While we were preparing a barbeque my father with my older brothers were planting a few olives and after they watered the trees. Then bent down and I got into my hands some clay and I began to play, after I put my two fingers into the clay and in my eyes it seemed like… a small head in my hands.
So very small I started to make various forms with gypsum, clay and stone before deciding working with wood. Eventually the wood won me because what I built with other materials was very fragile and the slightest break. I was a kid and I did not like to make something and then breaks. A neighbour used to make some little things to sell to tourists, maybe this was an influence.
Since then, the primary school, I did not stop working on the sculpture. In the beginning I started making musical instruments, especially lyres.
Later in the secondary school I stopped making lyres and I started to make some small wooden sculptures.
On the basement of my family house, I had a counter with some basic tools and I liked, it pleased me to curve, to create something, it was my passion. The people of the village used to visit me, they saw, they liked and they smiled. But I did not think to deal with art, that happened when I returned from my compulsory military service. In all my work and afford my family supported me psychologically, what I was building was not anything great, but they supported me they gave me courage and compliments, and this gave me strength to continue and not to quit.
In 2001 I made “The Eagle with the Snake.” The following year I demonstrated it in the village square in some cultural events of the municipality and the villagers put my idea to deal with art professionally. Since then I started with the idea to make some big sculptures and to exhibit them in a permanent collection, not sold.
It has been 20 years since I started making woodcarving until it reaches the sculptures and the space to be available to the public. I find it difficult and tiring to complete what I have created. I have participated in group exhibitions in Rethymnon and Heraclion at the Pancretian exhibition of ‘Oikade’ in 2003 which was organized by the Rethymnon Centre of Contemporary Art, I took place in the exhibition “The Myth of the Earth through the hands of man” in 2008 which was organized by the Natural Psiloritis Park.
In 21 of March in 2014 I took part in an international event in China. For more informations about that event you can visit their official page World Wood Day – www.worldwoodday.org
We were 70 different wood carvers all around the world and a lot of local wood carvers. Every carver was represent his own country and so do I – represented Greece there.”
The visitor of the museum can also visit very interesting and beautiful sightseeings around the area of the museum. Like Sfentoni cave that is located in Zoniana village and is only 2 kilometres away from the museum. The museum is also 7 kilometres away from the traditional and historic village of Anogeia.There are also many Christian orthodox monasteries in the area around of the museum like Monastery Diskouri (3 kilometres away) Monastery Halepa(15 kilometres away) and Monastery of Holy Cross in Vossakos(27 kilometres away).In my village of Axos and next villages as well, the visitor of the museum can find very beautiful and organized hotels and restaurants who provide very high and quality services and products.
Tickets. Adults 5 euros, children under 18 years old – 3 euros, children under 6 years free of charge, the cost of tour is included in the ticket price (Greek or English).
Go to the museum most conveniently on a rented car, checkpoints are cities, if you are coming from Heraklion: Heraklion-Gazi-Tylisos-Goness-Sisarkha-Anoya-Axos.
If you are coming from Renthimno: Renthimno – Panormo – Perama – Dafnedes – Mourzana – Garazo – Veni (Kunalos) – Axos.
+30-6937691387
e-mail: koutantossculptures@hotmail.com.