Jannis Kounellis (1936–2017) was born in Piraeus, Greece. The backdrops to his childhood were World War II and ten years of civil war in Greece. In 1956, he moved to Rome, where he spent the rest of his life. By 1960, he was an active member of the Arte Povera movement.

Kounellis's work has appeared in key, historical exhibitions such as the first Arte Povera exhibition, Arte Povera, Galleria La Bertesca, Genova, Italy (1967); When Attitudes Become Form, Kunsthalle Bern, Switzerland (1969); Documenta 5 in Kassel, Germany (1972). His work has been featured in solo exhibitions at several major institutions, including: Kunstmuseum in Bern (1977); Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, Netherlands (1977); Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, France (1980); Whitechapel Art Gallery, London (1981); Musée d'Art Contemporain, Bordeaux, France (1985); The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Illinois (1986); Musée d'Art Contemporain, Montreal, Canada (1987); Castello di Rivoli, Museo d'Arte Contemporanea, Rivoli, Turin, Italy (1988) Jannis Kounellis: Via del Mare, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands (1990); The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid (1996); Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany (1997); Neue National Gallery, Berlin (2007); and Monnaie de Paris, France (2016).