Kanellis was born in Smyrna and died in Athens. He studied for two years at the Medical school, The University of Athens. He abandoned his studies and moved to Paris where he had free studies in painting, mainly at the Academia de la Grande Chaumiere. His subject matter was mainly landscapes with emphasis on olive trees and seascapes.

In Paris Kanellis met Stratis Eleftheriades Teriade, a fan of his work, and George Gounaropoulos who taught him a lot on the art of painting.

He presented his work in 1934 at The Venice Biennale and in 1954 at The Alexandria Bienale. He exhibited his work in Greece, New York, Moscow, Stockholm, Lugarno, Brussels, and so on.

His work can be found in many public and private collections in Greece and Cyprus: notably at The National Gallery, Athens, The Athens Municipality Collection and The Leventis Gallery, Nicosia.