The Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum is a unique museum devoted to the art of jewelry and the decorative arts. The museum was founded in 1993 and opened to the public, as a non-profit organisation.
Today the Museum’s permanent collection includes over 4000 pieces of jewelry and micro sculptures from over 50 collections designed by the museum’s founder, Ilias Lalaounis, between 1940 and 2000. The permanent collection is enriched with donations including jewelry and decorative arts from around the world.
The main museum edifice was the original workshop of Ilias Lalaounis Company. The alterations of the space were designed by Bernard Zehrfuss (1908-1996) and the architectural plan was refined and carried out by the Architect, Vassilis Gregoriadis with the Engineer, George Athanasoulis.
Temporary exhibitions with decorative arts, cultural programs involving research and educational programs for children on the ancient art of goldsmithing, publications and adult cultural activities are in the museum’s yearly agenda.
The museum’s initiative focuses on cultural programs for special social groups such as individuals with disabilities and special interests groups include: programs on jewelry design and making, gemology, art history, children’s theatre, family weekend programs, special workshops on temporary exhibitions.
The permanent collections include Ilias Lalaounis’ designs in 50 collections. The works of jewelry and microscupltures displayed are only few from over 17.000 works made by the master jewelers of Lalaounis’ workshop since 1940. The fifty collections have been organised in 6 sections within the galleries on the 1st floor.
An authentic jewelry workshop operates at the ground floor of the Museum, allowing visitors to observe our resident goldsmith at work. At the goldsmith’s bench, the public is introduced to ancient goldsmithery techniques, to the tools and materials of the trade.
The Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum constantly renovates its exhibitions and develops its activities in the contemporary spaces below the Acropolis on its south side. Looking to the future, the museum aims to develop into an international center for the study of the decorative arts.
