The exhibition entitled Snakes, dragons, griffins at the Szekler Museum of Ciuc is about a folk artist - a furniture carving master and a woodcarver - and some of his works, who somehow disappeared from the memory of the people of Ciuc.

Kristó János, furniture carver and sculptor, was born on 24 July 1864 in Cozmeni. According to the church register, his father, Kristó Lajos, was a lagenarius (bottle-maker), from whom János learned a few woodworking skills as a child. He learned carpentry and woodcarving at a high level in Cluj-Napoca.

In 1930, at the invitation of Domokos Pál Péter, Nagy Imre and Vámszer Géza, Kristó took part in the Church and Folk Art Exhibition in Șumuleu-Ciuc with his finished works and demonstrated the process of making them to the public.

Kristó János , as a cabinet-maker and woodcarving folk artist, became known and famous for his works in Ciuc, Transylvania and Hungary between 1930 and 1945, and his furniture and other carved objects were exhibited by Countess Maria Bethlen in major cities in Romania and Hungary. The old master made ”thinking chairs” for Kodály Zoltán and Tamási Áron, among others, and sculptural furniture for Nagy Imre, a painter from Jigodin Ciuc. The latter will also be on display at the exhibition.

The Kristó János memorial exhibition entitled Snakes, dragons, griffins, which is part of the Hungarian Genius Programme, is curated by Málnási Levente, ethnographer-museologist of the Szekler Museum of Ciuc.

The exhibition is open until 31st May 2024 at the Szekler Museum of Ciuc.