Zacharias Portalakis, was born in Heraklion, Crete in 1947 and is a sponsor of important exhibitions of the National Gallery of Greece for 12 consecutive years and a member of its Board of Directors. He also participates in the Board of Directors of the Museum of the City of Athens as well as in the Board of Directors of the Giannis and Zois Spyropoulou Foundation as Vice President.
He studied with a YKY scholarship for 4 consecutive years at the Department of Economics of the University of Piraeus. He was elected a Stockbroker in 1981, creating in 1987 the Hellenic Stockbrokers Association where he was the first president. In 1990 he created the homonymous stock company Z.G. Portalakis SA in which he participates as President and CEO.
From 1987 until today he creates a Collection of Works of Art, initially with Greek artists, paintings, sculptures and photographs. The Collection then expands to Greek artists in the Diaspora and then to European and American artists.
His love for Art grows with personal friendship and communication with great artists such as Christos Kapralos, George Zongolopoulos, Alexis Akrithakis, Theodoros Stamos and others.
In 2014 he donated to the Society of Cretan Historical Studies at the Historical Museum of Crete the collection of 65 Post-Byzantine Icons (from the 15th to the beginning of the 20th century). The Donation of Icons is now housed in a permanent room of the Historical Museum of Crete.
Since 2015 he exhibits works of his Collection with periodic exhibitions every year.
On November 9, 2019, he is awarded the Ethical Order Award of the Municipality of Heraklion for his overall contribution to his hometown.
