DESTE Foundation for Contemporary Art

The DESTE Foundation for Contemporary Art is a non-profit institution founded in Geneva in 1983 by collector Dakis Joannou. Through its exhibition space in Athens, the Foundation presents a year-round programme of exhibitions featuring both emerging and established artists. Its activities aim to broaden public engagement with contemporary art, support emerging artistic practices and explore the relationship between contemporary art and wider culture.

Since its inception, DESTE—named after the Greek word meaning "look"—has organised contemporary art exhibitions and supported art-related projects and publications internationally. During its early years, the Foundation presented exhibitions in Greece, Cyprus and Switzerland that reflected key artistic developments of the 1980s and 1990s, highlighting the international scope of contemporary art.