Description
Ilias Lalaounis (1920-2013) !8k gold on Tigers Eye Easter Egg. Great piece tested 18k gold on cats eye. Unmarked Custom made one of a kind piece created by
a master and being offered at a fraction of it's original cost. I also have
another listed. No issues.
Ilias Lalaounis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigationJump to search
Ilias Lalaounis
LH OMRI
Ilias Lalaounis in 1920.jpg
Ilias Lalaounis in 1990
Born 4 October 1920
Athens, Greece
Died 30 December 2013
Athens, Greece
Nationality Greek
Alma mater University of Athens
Occupation Jeweler
Spouse(s) Lila Altitzoglou
Children 4 daughters
Ilias Lalaounis (4 October 1920 − 30 December 2013) was a pioneer of Greek
jewelry and an internationally renowned goldsmith.[1] He is especially known for
his collections inspired by Greek history.[2] In 1990 he became the only jeweler
ever to be inducted into the Académie des Beaux-Arts.[3][4]
Contents
1 Early life
2 Career
2.1 1969-1970s
2.2 1980s–1990s
3 Museum
4 Personal life
5 Honors and awards
6 References
Early life
Ilias Lalaounis was born on October 4, 1920 in Athens, Greece.[3][4] He was a
fourth generation jeweler whose family originated from Delphi.[4] He graduated
from the University of Athens, where he studied Political Science and the
Law.[3][4]
Career
Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum.
Lalaounis started his career working for the jewelry business of his uncle,
Xenophon Zolotas.[4] In 1940 he took over the administration of the firm, which
he managed and designed all jewelry for until 1968.[3] He founded the Greek
Jewelers' Association and exhibited his first collection, the Archaeological
Collection, at the Thessaloniki International Fair in 1957. It was inspired by
Classical, Hellenistic and Minoan Mycenaean art. In 1969 he started his own
firm, Greek Gold - Ilias Lalaounis S.A..[4]
1969-1970s
Lalaounis provoked a sensation with his collection Blow Up (1970), draping the
human body in gold jewelry inspired by Minoan civilization.[5] The following
year he organized an international exhibition of jewelry in Athens, joined by
Van Cleef, Bulgari, Rene Kern and Harry Winston. In 1976, he had one of his most
important commissions which would prove to be one of the most inspiring for his
portfolio. Empress Farah of Iran commissioned Lalaounis to create a collection
of jewelry and objects inspired by Persian art, which went on display at the
Imperial Palace in Tehran.[6]
Between 1970 and 1978 Ilias Lalaounis opened stores in most European countries.
He opened his first international store in Paris at 364 rue Saint-Honoré, near
Place Vendôme and produced a short film explaining the sources of inspiration
for the jewels on display. Since then, he regularly produced short films to
illustrate his collections, such as: Aube of Art, Byzantine Arcs in Gold,
Choreography, The Shield of Achilles, Ilion - The Treasure of Troy, Art and
Gold, The Common Roots of the Creator Man, Treasures of the Holy Land.[3] In
1979, Lalaounis opened a store in New York on the corner of Fifth Avenue and
57th Street. A year later, the Smithsonian Institution invited him to give a
lecture on his art and to exhibit his collection The Achilles Shield at the
National Museum of American History.
1980s–1990s
Ilias Lalaounis continued to create innovative collections and expand the brand
to international markets during the 1980s. On the inauguration of the Lalaounis
store in Tokyo, he created a jewelry collection inspired by Japanese art. The
same year, he opened a store in Hong Kong where he presented a collection of
jewels inspired by the drawings of the Greek geometric period, very similar to
the geometric designs of Chinese art. A second store was opened in Hong Kong in
1982.[3] Lalaounis exhibited his Helen of Troy collection at the Penn Museum in
Philadelphia as well as in Houston, Texas, where he was made an honorary citizen
by the mayor.
In 1984, he published Metamorphoses, a book in which he presented nineteen of
his collections by analyzing his philosophy on the nature and function of
jewelry. The jewel, for Ilias Lalaounis, is not a simple decorative object,
rather it carries a message, is an expression of inner life, a link with the
distant past, a symbol and a memory.[3] He received the Thorlet Award (Prix
Thorlet) for the book from the Académie des Beaux-Arts. Subsequently, a
retrospective exhibition of his creations was presented in the Sorbonne Chapel.
For his contribution to the arts, Lalaounis was made Knight of the Order of Arts
and Letters (Chevalier de l'ordre des Arts et Lettres) by the French government
and Commander of the Order of Academic Palms (Commandeur des Palmes
Académiques). He was also elected as a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts of
the Institut de France, the only jeweler ever to be inducted.[3][7] The
Academicians' swords (épées d'Académiciens), given to members on their
induction, were originally designed by Salvador Dali, and when Dali became too
frail to continue, he named his close friend Ilias Lalaounis to continue his
work.
In November 1987, Lalaounis was invited by Teddy Kollek, Mayor of Jerusalem, to
present his collection Treasures of the Holy Land, in an exhibition specially
organized by the Israel Museum and subsequently shown in New York, London and
Paris. The following year he presented Arabesques, a collection of gold and
silver creations set with precious and semi-precious stones. The Minister of
Foreign Affairs of Turkey invited him to exhibit Arabesques, as well as another
complementary collection, Soleiman the Magnificent, at the Islamic Art Museum of
Istanbul.[8] He launched Ameridians in New York, a collection inspired by the
art of North American Indians and in 1991, opened his store on Madison Avenue in
New York, where he presented his collection inspired by Celtic art.
Museum
In 1994, he founded the Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum, located under the
Acropolis, in the center of Athens. The permanent exhibition displays jewelry
and micro-sculptures from forty-five collections, designed by Lalaounis in the
period 1940-1992.[9] Some special commissions are also kept on permanent
display, such as the Olympic torch, designed by Ilias Lalaounis, used to start
the Olympic torch rally before every Olympic Games.
