Nelly's
Encyclopedia
Elli Souyioultzoglou-Seraïdari b.1899 - d.1998 (better known as Nelly's) is one the most celebrated Greek photographers of all time, and during the interwar period became one of the world's most celebrated female photographers. Her pictures of ancient Greek temples against sea and sky backgrounds, which were published by the first Greek ministries of tourism, shaped the first visual images of Greece in the Western mind.
She was born in Aidini, near Smyrna (now İzmir
), Asia Minor
, and after the 1922 expulsion of the ethnic Greeks of Asia Minor by the Turks following the Greco-Turkish war (1919-1922)
, she went to study photography in Germany
under Hugo Erfurth
and Franz Fiedler
. In 1924 she came to Greece, where she adopted a nationalistic and conservative approach to her work.
At some point she was referred to as "the Greek Leni Riefenstahl
" because of her collaboration with the 4th of August Regime
(1936-1941), of which she was one of its most prolific photographers. As a Greek of the Diaspora
, Nelly's view of Greece tended to be somewhat "idyllic", which matched the propaganda aims of the quasi-fascist regime, led by General Ioannis Metaxas
. In fact, her work helped illustrating the idea of the racial continuity of the Greeks since Antiquity, which was within Metaxas' agenda.
In 1936 she photographed the Berlin Olympic Games, where she met Leni Riefenstahl
, and accompanied her to Olympia
. In 1939 she was commissioned the decoration of the interior of the Greek pavilion at the New York's World Fair, which she did with gigantic collages expressing the physical similarities between ancient and modern Greeks.
After the Greek defeat to the German Army in 1941 and the consequent end of the 4th of August regime, she left Greece for the United States
, where she developed her talent in new disciplines such as advertising photography, photo-reportages. In the US she maintained links with powerful Greeks including shipowners Stavros Niarchos
and Aristotle Onassis
and developed contacts with the White House
.
In 1985, Nelly's donated her photo archives and cameras to the Benaki Museum
in Athens
, while in 1987 she was presented with an honorary diploma and medal by the Hellenic Centre of Photography and the government. In 1993, she was awarded the Order of the Phoenix by the president of the Greek Republic. In 1996, the Athens Academy presented her with its Arts and Letters Award.
Nelly's died in Athens, Greece, on August 18, 1998.
She was born in Aidini, near Smyrna (now İzmir
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
), Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
, and after the 1922 expulsion of the ethnic Greeks of Asia Minor by the Turks following the Greco-Turkish war (1919-1922)
Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922)
The Greco–Turkish War of 1919–1922, known as the Western Front of the Turkish War of Independence in Turkey and the Asia Minor Campaign or the Asia Minor Catastrophe in Greece, was a series of military events occurring during the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire after World War I between May...
, she went to study photography in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
under Hugo Erfurth
Hugo Erfurth
Hugo Erfurth was a German photographer known for his portraits of celebrities and cultural figures of the early twentieth century.- External links:...
and Franz Fiedler
Franz Fiedler
Franz Fiedler was a photographer.Fiedler was born in Prostějov, near Olomouc in Moravia. Fiedler was a pupil of Hugo Erfurth...
. In 1924 she came to Greece, where she adopted a nationalistic and conservative approach to her work.
At some point she was referred to as "the Greek Leni Riefenstahl
Leni Riefenstahl
Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl was a German film director, actress and dancer widely noted for her aesthetics and innovations as a filmmaker. Her most famous film was Triumph des Willens , a propaganda film made at the 1934 Nuremberg congress of the Nazi Party...
" because of her collaboration with the 4th of August Regime
4th of August Regime
The 4th of August Regime , commonly also known as the Metaxas Regime , was an authoritarian regime under the leadership of General Ioannis Metaxas that ruled Greece from 1936 to 1941...
(1936-1941), of which she was one of its most prolific photographers. As a Greek of the Diaspora
Diaspora
A diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
, Nelly's view of Greece tended to be somewhat "idyllic", which matched the propaganda aims of the quasi-fascist regime, led by General Ioannis Metaxas
Ioannis Metaxas
Ioannis Metaxas was a Greek general, politician, and dictator, serving as Prime Minister of Greece from 1936 until his death in 1941...
. In fact, her work helped illustrating the idea of the racial continuity of the Greeks since Antiquity, which was within Metaxas' agenda.
In 1936 she photographed the Berlin Olympic Games, where she met Leni Riefenstahl
Leni Riefenstahl
Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl was a German film director, actress and dancer widely noted for her aesthetics and innovations as a filmmaker. Her most famous film was Triumph des Willens , a propaganda film made at the 1934 Nuremberg congress of the Nazi Party...
, and accompanied her to Olympia
Olympia, Greece
Olympia , a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi. Both games were held every Olympiad , the Olympic Games dating back possibly further than 776 BC...
. In 1939 she was commissioned the decoration of the interior of the Greek pavilion at the New York's World Fair, which she did with gigantic collages expressing the physical similarities between ancient and modern Greeks.
After the Greek defeat to the German Army in 1941 and the consequent end of the 4th of August regime, she left Greece for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where she developed her talent in new disciplines such as advertising photography, photo-reportages. In the US she maintained links with powerful Greeks including shipowners Stavros Niarchos
Stavros Niarchos
Stavros Spyros Niarchos was a Greek shipping tycoon, sometimes known as "The Golden Greek." In 1952, Stavros Niarchos built the first supertankers capable of transporting large quantities of oil, and subsequently earned millions of dollars as global demand for his ships increased.- Early life :He...
and Aristotle Onassis
Aristotle Onassis
Aristotle Sokratis Onassis , commonly called Ari or Aristo Onassis, was a prominent Greek shipping magnate.- Early life :Onassis was born in Karatass, a suburb of Smyrna to Socrates and Penelope Onassis...
and developed contacts with the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
.
In 1985, Nelly's donated her photo archives and cameras to the Benaki Museum
Benaki Museum
The Benaki Museum, established and endowed in 1930 by Antonis Benakis in memory of his father Emmanuel Benakis, is housed in the Benakis family mansion in downtown Athens, Greece...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, while in 1987 she was presented with an honorary diploma and medal by the Hellenic Centre of Photography and the government. In 1993, she was awarded the Order of the Phoenix by the president of the Greek Republic. In 1996, the Athens Academy presented her with its Arts and Letters Award.
Nelly's died in Athens, Greece, on August 18, 1998.
External links
- Page about Nelly's work at the 1939 World Fair Article on Nelly's and the Greek pavilion at the 1939 New York's World Fair
- Nelly's Book A micro-site showing some of Nelly's works
- A page about Nelly's on the Benaki Museum website