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Dakis Joannou born 1941[1] is a Greek Cypriot industrialist and art collector based in Greece. He owns hotels and a construction business and has been a major international distributor of Coca-Cola "across 27 countries, from Greece to Switzerland to Russia to Nigeria."[2][3]

Life and career

Joannou is considered to be one of the leading collectors of European contemporary art in Greece (the earliest collections date back to the 1980s), including works such as the Jeff Koons sculpture One Ball Total Equilibrium Tank (1985).

Artistis included in the collection

The Dakis Joanou collection includes works by a variety of international and mainstream artists, including:

Jeff Koons, Elad Lassry, Mike Kelley, Maurizio Cattelan, Joseph Kosuth, Cady Noland, Vanessa Beecroft, Michael Bevilacqua, Ashley Bickerton, Cai Guo-Qiang, Matt Greene, Liza Lou, Miltos Manetas, Allan McCollum, Takashi Murakami, Shirin Neshat, Chris Ofili, Gabriel Orozco, Yinka Shonibare, Shahzia Sikander, Kara Walker, Nari Ward, and Christopher Wool.

Recognition

Joannou's collection has been featured in many leading museums, in 2002 at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, and in 2010 at the New Museum in New York.

Deste Foundation

Joannou is the founder of Deste Foundation, center for contemporary arts, located in Athens, in the suburb of Nea Ionia. DESTE is a nonprofit foundation that organises exhibitions and supports publications that explore the relationship between contemporary art and contemporary culture. It aims to bring contemporary art to a wider audience, to enhance opportunities for young artists, and to establish a dialogue between generations through an exhibition program that promotes emerging as well as established artists.

Joannou was ranked 28 in ArtReview's guide to the 100 most powerful figures in contemporary art: Power 100, 2010.[4]