Ilias Lalaounis
Ilias Lalaounis ( Greek Ηλίας Λαλαούνης , * October 4, 1920 in Athens ; † December 30, 2013 ibid) was a Greek goldsmith and jeweler and founder of the company of the same name.
Life
Lalaounis was born in Athens into a family that had worked as jewelers and watchmakers for several generations. He studied economics and then learned the goldsmith's trade in his uncle's business. He began his career in the early 1940s by taking over the renowned family business Zolotas together with Xenophon Zolotas .
Ilias Lalaounis studied antique exhibits in museums, on the one hand their forms, but on the other hand also many forgotten techniques. In 1957 he founded the Greek Jewelers Association and exhibited his first collection, inspired by Minoan and Mycenaean art. He mainly processed gold, less diamonds and jewels. He was influenced not only by the Minoan, but also the Persian and Byzantine art, but also by Far Eastern and pre-Columbian forms. Other goldsmiths followed his example in the 1950s, so that the Greek jewelry industry was able to achieve significant successes at home and abroad.
In the 1970s he showed a new cycle of works with designs and collections that were shaped by contemporary manufacturing techniques and inspired by astronomy, nature and biology.
Companies
In 1960 he moved the company to the Odos Karyatidon ( Οδός Καρυατίδων ) in Athens. In 1968 he founded his own company, Greek Gold Ilias Lalaounis SA. The company opened branches in Thessaloniki and on the Greek islands of Mykonos , Santorin and Corfu , in metropolises such as London , New York , as well as in Zurich , Geneva and Doha . His clients included Jackie Kennedy-Onassis , widow of the Shah of Persia Farah Diba Pahlavi , Barbra Streisand and Queen Sophia of Spain .
Lalaounis has received numerous awards for his work. He was the only jeweler to have been a member of the French Academy of Fine Arts ( Académie des Beaux-Arts ) since 1990 . His company has been run by his four daughters since 1998.
In 1993 Lalaounis founded the Ilias Lalaounis jewelry museum in his former studio , which near the Acropolis offers an overview of his work with 4,000 exhibits from 50 collections.
Web links
- greekrepeporter.gr: Obituary for Ilias Lalaounis
- Website of the Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum
- Entry on the website of the Académie des Beaux-Arts
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Lalaounis, Iliad |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Λαλαούνης, Ηλίας |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Greek goldsmith |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 4th October 1920 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Athens , Greece |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 30, 2013 |
| Place of death | Athens , Greece |