The Greek magnate Dakis Joannou never ceases to surprise. A diligent collector and visionary businessman, he has been the intrepid drive behind 360° culture via operations ranging from the hospitality industry to contemporary art and design. Besides having founded the Deste Foundation, a space devoted to international contemporary art (with illustrious collaborators such as Massimiliano Gioni and Jeffrey Deitch), Mr. Joannou is a focused and demanding lover of radical design who follows strict rules (collect the best work produced between the late 1960s and the early 1970s) and an avid collector with a measureless—in terms of quality first and then number—collection of contemporary art works that includes giants (and at giant scale) such as Jeff Koons, Urs Fischer and Roberto Cuoghi. A couple of years ago, Koons also put his name to the famous 35-metre yacht called Guilty that replaced the first vessel named Protect Me From What I Want, after a work by US artist Jenny Holzer.
Another commendable focus of Mr Joannou's interests is the Yes! Hotel (as in, Young, Enthusiastic and Seductive Hotels!) chain, which comprises the psychedelic and fluorescent Semiramis Hotel by Karim Rashid, the designer's first hotel; the Twentyone Hotel, with rooms personalised by young artists; the Periscope with its light-box views of Athens in every room and sophisticated P-Box restaurant, serving Greek tapas by chef Christopher Peskias; the elegant Kefalares Suites and the more corporate-style Intercontinental. Unlike other chains which are usually standardised worldwide, this one is based on differentiation and an unfailing presence of art in every hotel.
New Hotel is like a play on words, stemming from old pieces and new concepts suited to local tradition.
Maria Cristina Didero