MELISSINOS ART – THE POET SANDAL MAKER
World-famous sandal workshop, run by Pantelis Melissinos 3rd generation celebrity sandal maker, artist & poet.
A must for lovers of unique things & handmade quality – Established, in 1920, by Georgios Melissinos, grandfather of the current owner, who made footwear for the royal family of Greece and other notables.
Pantelis Melissinos puts art on your feet, in an impressively colorful and unique sandal-atelier with a baby grand piano and walls hung with his own artworks. This – one of a kind – sandal atelier that actually looks like an art gallery, is a stone’s throw away from the Acropolis Museum and the shadow of the Acropolis itself.
The historic: “MELISSINOS SANDAL-WORKSHOP”, has been a favorite shopping destination for kings and nobles, since the time of Georgios Melissinos -grandfather of the current owner Pantelis Melissinos.
Georgios founded the famous Melissinos Sandal-business, in the Historic Center of Athens, in 1920. After his death, in 1955, the business was taken over by his son Stavros Melissinos, who also loved writing poetry. Stavros became famous as “The Poet Sandal Maker of Athens” when he popularized his ancient Greek sandals and made them an everyday accessory, in the mid 50s. His idea took the fashion world by storm and he started a sandal trend that is still going strong today. Celebrities such as: Joseph Cotten, Sophia Loren, Jackie Onassis, The Beatles, Barbra Streisand, Jeremy Irons, Michel Piccoli and countless others loved to visit him for a few pairs of ancient Greek sandals, before heading for the Greek islands.
PANTELIS MELISSINOS, ARTIST, POET, SANDAL MAKER
Pantelis was born and raised in the shadow of the Acropolis of Athens, in an artistic environment. His father Stavros (son of Georgios Melissinos, the founder of the business) was the celebrated POET SANDAL MAKER OF ATHENS, who started, after 2.500 years, the Ancient Greek Sandal trend – a trend that’s still going strong in the 21st century. Stavros became part of the history of fashion and his designs have been widely copied by many fashion designers, in Greece and abroad. He made sandals for the likes of Sophia Loren, Maria Callas, Aristotle Onassis, Jackie O, Rudolph Nureyev, The Beatles and countless others.
Pantelis Melissinos took over the famous sandal business, during the “Athens Olympics”, in 2004.
It was in his family’s old workshop that Pantelis first listened to famous people talking about philosophy, poetry and art and all those meetings and discussions formed his own ideas and beliefs, about life and art.
CLASSICAL PIANO STUDIES
At an early age, Pantelis started studying piano and art and also wrote poetry and plays for his young friends.
ART STUDIES IN MANHATTAN
In 1980, when he turned 20, he moved to the United States and studied at the famous Parsons School of Design, in New York City, where he received his BFA
in Illustration and his MFA in Painting. There, he also wrote and staged plays for his colleagues and then he moved on and became the Artistic Director of the Greek Cultural Center of New York.
Pantelis Melissinos’ hand made leather sandals have been walking, for years now around the world – they’ve been to exotic places and big cities, unlike him who, like a modern day Socrates, never leaves Athens.He’s made sandals for Sarah Jessica Parker, Lily Tomlin, US President Biden’s family, Dawn French, Richard Ayoade and many-many other famous people.
His artistic workshop is a meeting place for art, poetry, music, theater and of course sandals!!!
All the sandals are custom-fit (no sales over the internet). There is a great number of classic designs inspired by antiquity as well as modern styles designed by Pantelis Melissinos, who, literally, puts art on your feet!
PANTELIS MELISSINOS, ARTIST, POET & SANDAL MAKER TO THE STARS
Pantelis has been featured in the New York Times (twice already) as well as on CNN, and other major TV networks throughout the world like Deutsche Welle etc, in addition to the numerous websites, magazines and other publications, where hi is often referred to as The Poet Sandal Maker to the STARS.
SET & COSTUME DESIGN & ART SHOWS
He has also worked as a set and costume designer, for many years, mainly for the Ancient Greek Theater scene, in his native Athens. He has had many one man shows, as an artist and painter, and his artworks are in collections throughout the world.
PANTELIS MELISSINOS’ ARTWORK
Every single painting by Pantelis Melissinos looks like a stage where Greek mythology, and The Theatre Of The Absurd meet with Latin American or African performers that tell stories or sing passionate songs about happiness, sorrows and loves lost or found. They relate the exploits of legendary or unknown -but nevertheless- very important heroes or heroines. Sometimes the protagonist is a slice of watermelon, a chair, a table, a cactus, a palm tree, some written words and so on… everyone and everything gets an equal opportunity on the Melissinos “stage”. They are all important because they are all part of life. And Life is what his art is about. The colors, the sounds, the scents, the six senses and the feelings of life are all present all the time.
The range of Melissinos’ art varies from sketches and drawings to paintings on canvas or three-dimensional painted assemblages, jewelry, wearable art, poetry, plays, as well as set and costume design. He also writes music and lyrics for the plays he writes and which he produces whenever his need to communicate with a live audience is urgent.
POEMS, COMEDIES AND MUSIC
His usually narrative poetry is philosophical and deals, like his paintings, with heroes or heroines and their everyday life equivalents. He also enjoys writing music and comedies. But in recent years poetry has definitely won him over.
DICTIONARY OF GREEK ARTISTS
Volume 3 16-20th Century:
“…In his art work the ancient myths deal with contemporary anxieties and are depicted in a visual language that combines ancient “primitive”, expressionistic and sometimes surrealistic elements in a different “tonal key”. His 3-dimensional paintings are in a way “set designs” where dynamic forms and brilliant color juxtapositions envelope his leading mythological figure or scene, which gets its meaning from a personal iconography and symbolism…”
Helena Haimalidou
Art Historian
MELISSA PUBLICATIONS
BORN:16-01-1959, Athens -Greece.STUDIES:
- PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN/
- BFA /ILLUSTRATION (1987)
- MFA /PAINTING (1989).
WORK EXPERIENCE:
- GREEK CULTURAL CENTER, New York, USA / Art Teacher (1985-1986) Set & Costume Designer (1986-1987) /Artistic Director (1988-1989).
- HARMER JOHNSON BOOKS & ANTIQUITIES, New York, USA (1989-1990)
- HELEXPO Set Designer of the 33rd International Song Festival of Thessalonica (1994).
- KASTALIA/ ANCIENT DRAMA GROUP Set & Costume Designer (1995 to date)
- NET 2 (National Television of Greece) Set Designer of “AVLAEA” (A show about the history of Greek pop music 1993 -1994).
P. Melissinos is currently working as a painter, a set & costume designer and an interior decorator.
His artwork has been shown in numerous one man and group shows, as well as on the Internet (LAMBRAKIS FOUNDATION/ internet ART Site), on TV talk shows ASAHI /Japan, MEGA CHANNEL, ANTENNA, SEVEN X, NET 1, NET 2. etc. Several magazine and newspaper journalists have also interviewed him about his artwork (CLICK, FLASH, DIVA, THE ATHENIAN, ELEUTHEROTYPIA, APOGEUMATINE, MAISON ET DECORATION, EXODOS, NITRO, PROINE of N.Y., ETHNIKOS KERYX (N.Y.), TA NEA, TO VEMA etc.).
His paintings can be found in private collections in New York, Hartford, Ohio, Philadelphia, Boston, London, Tokyo, Paris and Athens.ONE MAN’S SHOW (SELECTED)
- 2001: Diana Gallery, Athens.
- 1998: Olga Georgantea Gallery, Athens.
- 1992: Tempo 2000 Gallery, Athens.
- 1991: Olga Georgantea Gallery, Athens.
- 1986: Greek Cultural Center, New York.
GROUP SHOWS (SELECTED)
- 2001: “Art to Use”, DIANA – YIULIA GALLERY, Athens.
- 1999:
- “Millennium Art Sale 2000”, DIANA –
- YIULIA GALLERY, Athens.
- “Senses, Obsessions & Illusions”, GAZI, Municipality of Athens, Athens.
- 1998:
- “Expanding the Possibilities”, Hewlett Packard, GAZI, Municipality of Athens.
- “Red Cross Art Show”, RED CROSS, Athens.
- “Trash Art”, GAZI, Municipality of Athens.
- HEOS GALLERY, Athens.
- THRYALIS GALLERY, Patra.
- “17 Planetary Recipes”, AETHOUSA TECHNIS NAUPLIOU, Nauplion
- 1997: “Forty Greek Artists Support The Doctors Without Frontiers” -MELINA MERKURI CULTURAL CENTER –Athens.
- 1996: “Cheap Art Show-96”, CHEAP ART, Athens.
- 1995: “Cheap Art Show-95”, CHEAP ART, Athens.
- 1985:
- SOCIETY OF ILLUSTRATORS, New York, USA.
- PARSONS, New York, USA.
- 1981: EGNER ART GALLERY, Ohio, USA.
OTHER ACTIVITIES & STUDIESP. Melissinos has also studied music at the “ODEION ATHENON” and is the writer of five plays:
- “MAESTRO FARSHAS” A comedy staged at PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN –1985.
- “PRINCE GLUTONIUS” A comedy staged at PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN –1986.
- “THE ART DEALER” A comedy staged at PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN –1987
- “BACCHUS” A comedy staged in the AMPHI-THEATER OF SETTA, in Central Euboia /summer- 2001 & summer -2002. “BACCHUS” was also performed in the BLACK BOX THEATER of the AMERICAN COLLEGE OF GREECE
- “THE VAIN CHRISTMAS TREE” A comedy written for the Christmas activities of The PHILOPROODOS OMILOS HYMETTOU, Athens, 2002-03
- “DESERT WINE”, Lyrics: Stavros & Pantelis Melissinos. Music by Pantelis Melissinos, (1991) “BACCHUS” the music of the above-mentioned play, (2001).
Theater
- “MAESTRO FARSHAS” A comedy staged at PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN –1985.
- “PRINCE GLUTONIUS” A comedy staged at PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN –1986.
- “THE ART DEALER” A comedy staged at PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN –1987
- “BACCHUS” A comedy staged in the AMPHI-THEATER OF SETTA, in Central Euboia /summer- 2001 & summer -2002. “BACCHUS” was also performed in the BLACK BOX THEATER of the AMERICAN COLLEGE OF GREECE
- “THE VAIN CHRISTMAS TREE” A comedy written for the Christmas
Art
Every single painting by Melissinos seems like a stage where Greek mythology, and The Theatre Of The Absurd meet with Latin American or African performers to tell stories or sing passionate songs about happiness, sorrows and loves lost or found. They relate the exploits of legendary or unknown -but nevertheless- very important heroes or heroines. Some times the protagonist is a slice of watermelon, a chair, a table, a cactus, a palm tree, some written words and so on… everyone and everything gets an equal opportunity on the Melissinos “stage”. They are all important because they are all part of life. And Life is what his art is about. The colors, the sounds, the scents, the six senses and the feelings of life are all present all the time.
The range of Melissinos’ art varies from sketches and drawings to paintings on canvas or three-dimensional painted assemblages, jewelry, wearable art, poetry, plays, as well as set and costume design. He also writes music and lyrics for the plays he writes and which he produces whenever his need to communicate with a live audience is urgent.
“…In his art work the ancient myths deal with conteporary anxieties and are depicted in a visual language that combines ancient “primitive”, expressionistic and sometimes surealistic ellements in a different “tonal key”. His 3-dimentional paintings are in a way “set designs” where dynamic forms and brilliant color juxtapositions envelope his leading mythological figure or scene, which gets its meaning from a personal econography and symbolism…”
Helen Haimalidou
Dictionary of Greek Artists
Volume 3 16-20th Century
Melissa Publications
