Breathtaking, Sensational, One-Of-A-Kind Jewelry by Lisa Sotilis

Lisa Sotilis is famous throughout the world for her unique jewelry pieces chosen by the crème de la crème of the international jet set such as Her Majesty Empress of Iran Farah Pahlavi, Her Majesty Queen Marie José of Belgium, the last Queen of Italy, Princess Maria Beatrice of Savoy, the Royal Princess Munira al Saud, Rudolf Nureyev, Andy Warhol, Margot Fontayn, Roland Petit and Zizi Jeanmere, Claudia Cardinale, Annie Girardot, Mimie Lay, Mitzi Newhouse, Madame Schlumberger and numerous other jet-setters.

Lisa’s first client was Salvador Dali, who before the official opening of her first show at the Iolas Gallery in New York, purchased for his wife Gala, two of Lisa’s large gold art creations. Her second client was Giorgio de Chirico, who decided to surprise his wife Isabella Farr with Lisa’s large 24kt gold and platinum necklace and 24kt gold watch with Cartier movement.

Sotilis’s attainments include an exclusive contract with Cartier, NY, in the 70s, for the design and execution of the bezels for their famous watches.

All of Lisa Sotilis’s jewels are hand crafted, hand hammered and hand chiseled. Most of them are made of 24kt gold. 24Kt gold? Yes. We all know that pure gold is too soft to be wearable without damage. But Lisa couldn’t resist its magic, warmth and breathtaking elegance. With her signature technique, unique in the world, consisting of profiling the rear of the jewel with 18kt gold wire, her jewels become strong and durable enough to be worn every day. The profiling process is tiresome, tedious and has to be repeated many times, until the 24kt gold sheet and 18kt wire become one homogenous surface. Lisa says: it is a challenge to the laws of physics, since the 24kt gold melts sooner than the 18kt. How Lisa is able to accomplish it, remains a secret of her artistic genius and her proverbial tenacity.

The final product is simply mesmerizing.

Lisa Sotilis’ one-of-a-kind jewelry creations are completely hand crafted, hand hammered and sculpted in 24K gold, platinum or pure silver and similar to ancient jewelry techniques, her jewels are backed with stronger precious metal alloys to lend structural support to the highly sculptural forms.

However, the miracle, mystery and sheer genius of artistically melding a pure noble metal with an alloy of the same brilliancy showcases the many talents of Lisa Sotilis!

Also in keeping with her ancient/modern theme, Lisa sometimes features ancient carved stones, beads or relics and a myriad of precious stones which most often include one or a combination of the following; emeralds, rubies, sapphires, pearls, jade, amethyst, turquoise, coral or lapis lazuli.

Daniel Morris – art expert and collector

Biographical notes:

Lisa Sotils was born in Athens (Greece). She descends from a heroic and aristocratic Greek family that has contributed considerably to the independence of the nation.

Sotilis studied art at the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera, Milan, Italy.

At the age of 16, on the occasion of her solo exhibit at the Gian Ferrai Gallery in Milan, Italy, art critics and historians Luciano Budigna, Raffaele De Grada, Franco Russoli and Giorgio Kaisserlian as well as renowned artists, Renato Guttuso, Ennio Morlotti and Marcello Mascherini noticed her extraordinary talent.

Sotilis’s international debut took place at the Berlin Museum, where the 18 year old artist was presented by the renowned professor Jannasch, as an enfant prodige. On that occasion Lisa met Alexander Iolas, the world leading art dealer, who immediately offered her an exclusive contract and presented her to all his top galleries in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Madrid, Geneva, Athens and Rome, and placed her among the big ones of the last century: Andy Warhol, René Magritte, Salvador Dalí, Giorgio de Chirico, Jean Tinguely, Roberto Matta and others.

Salvatore Quasimodo, Nobel Prize in Literature (1959), in his book “Visti da Salvatore Quasimodo” (1969 edition) writes of Sotilis:”revelation of the influential power of the Greek myth”.

Lisa Sotilis was Giorgio de Chirico’s assistant, the only assistant for his large sculptures’ projects financed by the world-renowned art dealer and collector, Alexander Iolas. She was the only one authorized by the Master of the Metaphysical art movement to retouch his waxes before casting.

Sotilis also engages in the technique of painting in fresco. She won a contest to fresco the Sant’Antonio da Padova Chapel at the Church San Giovanni Battista alla Creta, Milan, Italy.

One of Sotilis’s greatest accomplishments is the creation of a monumental work for posterity: the 6 meters (19.7 feet) high front door in solid bronze with side decorations in gold plated bay-leaf motifs for the I Papandi Tou Kyriou (Reception of the Lord at the Temple) Greek Orthodox Church in Amman, Jordan.

Lisa Sotilis is a very prolific artist. Her sculptures, paintings, jewels, furniture, and home décor accessories are displayed in museums as well as in private collections throughout the world.

To view Lisa’s jewelry, click here: https://vimeo.com/59891857