Ilias Lalaounis (4 October 1920 − 30 December 2013)
was a pioneer of Greek jewelry and an internationally renowned goldsmith. He is one of the most representative jewelry and gold designer in the 1960s. In 1990 he became the only jeweler ever to be inducted into the Académie des Beaux-Arts.
In 1970, Lalaounis introduced his stunning collection Blow Up, draping the human body in gold jewelry. In the following year, he organized an international exhibition of jewelry in Athens, joined by Van Cleef, Bulgari, Rene Kern, and Harry Winston. In 1976, Empress Farah of Iran commissioned Lalaounis to create a collection of jewelry and objects inspired by Persian art, which exhibited at the Imperial Palace in Tehran.
From 1970 -1978 Ilias Lalaounis opened stores in most European countries. In 1979, Lalaounis opened stores in the USA. In the 1980s he opened the store in Tokyo and Hong Kong.
Lalaounis specializes in using gold as the material of his creation, which mainly inspired by ancient Greek art and produced at the Lalaounis workshop in Athens. He combined the ancient techniques such as granulation, filigree, and hand hammering are used alongside modern techniques, to create jewelry inspired by ancient civilizations to keep the tradition of Greek art alive. His fans are full of celebrities from the former first lady of the United States Jacqueline Kennedy, the famous movie actors, such as Elizabeth Taylor, Barbara Streisand to Sally Theron.
Antiquorum is delighted to present a series of Ilias Lalaounis examples in the auction, which belong to a Hong Kong-based private collector and has never been offered at auction. Nearly 40 years safely keep by the owner; all the items have been maintained in excellent condition.