Summers on vacation in Crete and in Greece can be hot; we’re talking the kind of sizzling heat that means staying outside uninterrupted through the hottest parts of the day might not be a great idea. So, in between enjoying the sun, visits to the beach, wandering the stunning countryside and taking in incredible scenery outside, if you need to take a break from the heat for a while, why not plan a visit to one of the island’s many, many wonderful tourist attractions? With such a rich and diverse history and cultural heritage, Crete is full of amazing architectural gems, pretty churches, beautiful mosques, astounding ruins, sumptuous palaces and villas, fascinating museums, and much more besides. However, if you are exploring the area around Rethymno, a lovely seaside town that is greatly influenced by its past with Venice and that boasts an elegant architectural character and picturesque port, then you should pay a visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete. Prise yourself away from the many gorgeous beaches in the area and enjoy the cool interiors while taking in some fascinating works of art while on holiday in Crete...
A combination of the old Municipal Gallery “L. Kanakakis” (founded back in 1992) and the Centre for Contemporary Art (founded in 1995), that was created in 2009, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete is located right in the centre of the historic core of the city, not far from the Venetian wall and the Archaeological Museum of Rethymno. The museum is located inside a historic building of Venetian origin that was previously home to a soap factory, one of the first industrial spaces in the island. In 1970, this space was purchased by the Municipality of Rethymno and when the Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete was created, the holdings of the two previous museums from which it was formed were moved into this impressive space, spread over one acre.
While the museum hosts a vibrant calendar of different events and exhibitions throughout the year, it is also home to a permanent collection. Comprised of about 700 works by contemporary Greek artists, they span from the 1950s to the present day and represent a wide range of different styles and movements from Modern and Contemporary Greek art from Abstraction to Neo-expressionism to Minimalism and beyond. There is also a range of media on display from paintings to sculpted works to found art to installations to photography to computer-generated pieces. In particular, the museum boasts a representative overview of the life and work of local Rethymnian artist Lefteris Kanakakis with some 50 of his pieces in oils, watercolour, and pen and pencil that cover all of the phases of his career and that were donated by Babis and Maria Marangos.
The calendar of temporary exhibitions can be traced back decades and boasts a highly prestigious legacy. From 1992 to the present, more than 100 exhibitions have been put on at the museum (and its precedents) and over 60 catalogues produced to accompany them. These exhibitions have seen the Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete participate in, and impress, both the national and international art community and collaborations with institutions in Greece and abroad have been commonplace. On a day-to-day basis, there are guided tours of the current exhibitions and permanent collection each day for both children and adults as well as all sorts of educational and community outreach programs, meaning that there will always be something to see no matter when you visit! So, find your villa in Crete today, plan your trip to Greece, and then set aside some time to escape the outside world and spend a pocket of time in this extraordinary art space.
Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete
32 Mesologhiou str., 741 31 Rethymnon
Crete, Greece
+30 28310 52530
info@cca.gr
Opening hours:
1 May - 31 October:
Tuesday - Friday 9:00-14:00 & 19:00-21:00
Weekend 10:00-15:00
Monday Closed
1 November - 30 April:
Tuesday - Friday 9:00-14:00
Wednesday & Friday 9:00-14:00 & 18:00-21:00
Weekend 10:00-15:00
Monday Closed