About Me

Art Collector and Philanthropist

A contemporary art aficionado, Dana Sheves is passionate about contributing her unique perspective to the international art scene. Dana is known for establishing the GAST Art Foundation – a non-profit artist residency foundation, and for her valuable philanthropic contributions to art institutions in Israel and around the world.

Early Life and Education

Born and raised in Israel, Dana Sheves completed a degree in Social Sciences – Economics, Sociology and Political Science – at Bar Ilan University in 1996. She then studied a Gender Studies at Lesley University. After completing two years of national service at the Israeli Ministry of Defense, and another year and a half as a civilian contractor at the ministry’s purchases department, Sheves joined as a partner at a real estate company for three years. From 1998 to 2004 she is a partner and director at the family business, Sheves Holdings Ltd. Sheves has been a partner and director at SDS Consulting GmbH in Austria since 2005 and in 2006 she joined as partner and director with EJI Consulting Ltd UK. She continues to work with both consultancies.

Entering the Art World

Sheves became more involved with the art world when she moved to London. She explored art galleries and shows and, as she began to deepen her knowledge at professional institutions like Sotheby’s and Christies, started a personal art collection. It was during this time that Sheves launched GAST – a non-profit foundation aimed at providing opportunities for emerging as established artists and at assisting them with launching projects via an extensive residency program and connections to the institutions.

Memberships and Affiliations

Between 2009 and 2012, Dana Sheves served as a member on the British Friends of the Art Museums of Israel (BFAMI) Committee. In 2009, she became a patron of the Serpentine Galleries in London. In 2012, Sheves launched the GAST Art Foundation. In 2015 she became a program patron at Studio Voltaire, and the chair of the CCA’s (the Tel Aviv Center for Contemporary Art) development community in 2018.

GAST Art Foundation

Dana Sheves established GAST Art Foundation with the aim of supplying artists from around the globe with an environment that will enable them to explore new directions in their work. The foundation offers artists rooms and studios in cities around Europe, including Berlin, Amsterdam, Antwerp and Kassel, where they are also given access to an advisory board of experts across a variety of disciplines. by invitation only.

Dana Sheves and the GAST/Oscar Murillo Project

One of the most highly regarded GAST projects Dana Sheves is involved with is the Oscar Murillo School Project. The long-term project consists of covering desks in schools around the world with canvasses. The canvasses are left in classrooms in locations including Murillo’s native Colombia in South America, Tel Aviv in Israel, Berlin in Europe and Addis Ababa in Africa, for as up to a year at a time. Although students are given free-reign to doodle, scribble, draw or paint on the canvasses, it is expected that they eventually treat the surface like any other desk surface. At the discretion of the artist, the canvasses will be collected and integrated into a body of work to be exhibited at a museum or other suitable space nearby each location. Dana was involved in Oscar’s ‘Frequency Project’ that was selected to be part of the 56th Venice Biennale: All the World’s Futures in 2015.