As museums prepare to reopen in Greece on June 15, with the easing of coronavirus restrictions, a wax museum in the country’s north will be proudly unveiling its latest exhibit, a statue of Hollywood star, Tom Hanks.
The artist, Theodoros Kokkinidis, who is also the head of the niche space situated at a small village called Kipia in Kavala region – celebrated the completion of the project taking a selfie with the wax statue of the “beloved actor", as he calls him.
“An award-winning, top of his kind, actor who is particularly fond of Greece and came even closer to [the country] through his marriage to actress Rita Wilson, who is of Greek origin,” Mr Kokkinidis posted on social media.
Indeed, the actor has been vocal about his affection for Greece and recently purchased a house on the Antiparos island, a frequent destination for the couple during summer holidays.
Just before the end of 2019, the then President of the Hellenic Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos signed a naturalization order for Mr Hanks granting him honorary Greek citizenship in recognition of his ‘exceptional services’ in helping victims of the 2018 Attica wildfires.
A few months later, the 63-year-old Oscar winner and his wife visited Australia for the pre-production of an Elvis Priesley biopic starring Mr Hanks.
During their stay in Queensland they tested positive for coronavirus and remained in hospital till their recovery from COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Mr. Kokkinidis credited the “creative effect” of “being in lockdown at home” during the pandemic for bringing to life the 31st statue in his collection.
The Kokkinidis Theodoros Wax Museum opened its doors to the public in 2010 bringing to life a “dream and life goal” for the artist, as stated on the museum’s website.
Mr Kokkinidis working on sculpture depicting singer Jennifer Lopez Source: Facebook
The museum hosts effigies of prominent Greeks and international artists and renowned personalities, including Madonna, Michael Jackson and Princess Diana.
