Ilias lalaounis biography sample
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Through selected stops in the 70-year career of the founder of the ILJM, Ilias Lalaounis, you are given the opportunity to get to know the work and history of one of the greatest jewelry designers of the 20th century.
Program Information: Tour available in English and Greek
Please book your tour in advance. Merging historical inspiration with innovation, he brought ancient techniques such as granulation, filigree, hand-weaving and hammering back to life, while incorporating contemporary tools and technology.
Lalaounis envisaged a social role for the Museum in endorsing the development of contemporary Greek jewelry, through a framework of promotion, display and academic research that such an institution may offer. He overwhelmed his clientele with the sheer diversity of his exquisite handmade jewelry that became increasingly popular from London and New York to as far as Istanbul and Tokyo, while exhibiting his work in over 70 solo exhibitions worldwide.
Purchase your e-ticket at http://bit.ly/iliaslalaounis-jewelrymuseum-eticket
In 1993, he founded the Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum, showcasing examples from his collections spanning 1940 to 2002 and promoting the study of jewelry and decorative arts.
In 1990, he became the first jeweler inducted into the prestigious Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris.
Over his prolific career, Lalaounis created more than fifty collections. Between 1969 and 2002 he presented 50 collections in 18.000 designs. Lalaounis was distinguished for reviving ancient Greek goldsmithing and promoting it through his collections worldwide throughout the second half of the 20th century.
Born in Athens, Lalaounis was the third generation of a family of goldsmiths and watchmakers. The program includes audio visual presentations and visits at the Live Metalsmith & Decorative Arts Studios.
REservations: +30 210 92 21 044, +30 210 92 39 709
Director’s Tour
Uppon Request
Duration: 90′
Cost: 200€ (up to 10 people)
The ILJMuseum Director, Ioanna Lalaouni narrates the 30 years history of the museum, through an experiential guided tour in the museum’s permanent collection and temporary exhibitions.
Today, in its superbly equipped new workshops, Ilias Lalaounis – Greek Gold LTD produces the designs sold in the company’s stores in Greece and abroad. Headquartered at the foot of the Acropolis, the firm expanded with branches on several Greek islands and soon across Europe, the United States and Asia.
The 1970s saw a creative explosion, most notably with the avant-garde ‘Blow Up’ collection that draped the human body in gold jewelry.
In line with the family tradition, Ilias Lalaounis’ daughters Aikaterini, Demetra, Maria direct the company and Ioanna the museum.
His creations were exhibited in over 70 solo exhibitions at museums and galleries worldwide. Among them the “Victoria and Albert Museum”, the “Smithsonian Institute”, the “Philadelphia Museum of Art”, the “Israel Museum in Jerusalem”, the “Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts”, “La Chapelle de la Sorbonne”, the “National Museum of Art of Romania”, the “Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum”.
Tour-guiding is handled exclusively by ILJM curatorial staff and includes audio-visual presentations and hands-on experience in the Artists’ Studios.
Museum Tour Options
Πακέτα Ξεναγήσεων
Curator’s Tour
Uppon Request
Duration: 90′
Cost: 120€ (up to 10 people)
ILJMuseum Curators guide you at the ILJM permanent collection and the temporary exhibitions!
In 1969 he sets up his own firm “Ilias Lalaounis – Greek Gold S.A. Initially branches were opened on several Greek Islands and soon expanded through Europe, USA, and Asia to number more than 38 Lalaounis galleries. Lalaounis continued exploring new realms, drawing inspiration from not only ancient cultures, but also science, medicine, astronomy and the natural world.
Today his legacy continues under the leadership of his four daughters, Aikaterini, Demetra, Maria and Ioanna, continuing Lalaounis’s enduring place in the world of art and jewelry.
Upcoming Auctions
Jewelry by Ilias Lalaounis from the Estate of a Prominent Washingtonian: Old World Elegance and other collections and estates will be offered in select auctions this season, including:
Jewelry Online | Timed Auction April 28 | View Lots
Important Jewelry | Auction April 30 | View Lots
Springtime Style | Auction May 8 | View Lots
and other upcoming sales
ILJM provides guided tours at the Museum Permanent collections.
In the ‘70s he proved his inexhaustible ability to create with new ideas spectacular designs based on modern technology, astronomy, nature and medicine.
In 1993, the company’s workshops were moved to new, purpose-built facilities and his factory was transformed in the current establishment to house the first Jewelry Museum in Greece.
Ancient artefacts sparked off his imagination but were not the only inspiration for his jewelry designs for the woman of today. Over 25 collections were inspired by ancient Greek history from the Pre-historic era to the Byzantine Empire.