Contemplations of a Collector

The allure of contemporary art through the lens of a major collection

In a contemplative walk through a 30-year endeavor, Dimitris Daskalopoulos and his partner Irini Pari converse on the main motivations and preoccupations of collecting contemporary art. Through their dialogue, this book reveals the driving forces that led to the assembly of this extraordinary array of contemporary art, as well as the challenges of ownership and management. Musing on love, life and art, Pari and Daskalopoulos explore the world''s existential mysteries, illustrated with hundreds of works from their collection.
Artists include: Marina Abramovic, Matthew Barney, Louise Bourgeois, Helen Chadwick, Paul Chan, Bruce Conner, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Robert Gober, David Hammons, Mona Hatoum, Isaac Julien, Jannis Kounellis, Stathis Logothetis, Sarah Lucas, Paul McCarthy, Steve McQueen, Ana Mendieta, Marisa Merz, Annette Messager, Wangechi Mutu, Ernesto Neto, Cornelia Parker, Pipilotti Rist, Dieter Roth, Doris Salcedo, Kiki Smith, Paul Thek.
Dimitris Daskalopoulos (born 1957) is an entrepreneur and a collector of contemporary art. He is Vice President of the Board of Trustees of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation; a member of the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; an active member of the Tate International Council and the Leadership Council of the New Museum; and a founding partner of the Whitechapel’s Future Fund.
Irini Pari works for the European Economic and Social Committee and is a permanent delegate of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises. An advocate of entrepreneurship and diplomatic relations, she dedicated a 30-year career in Brussels to promoting those objectives across the European Union. She loves art, reading and traveling.