Stephen Antonakos

Stephen Antonakos was a Greek-American artist known for his neon and mixed media installations. He was born in 1926 in Greece and moved to the United States with his family as a child.

Antonakos began his career as a painter, but in the early 1960s he began experimenting with neon, which would become a signature medium for him. He became interested in the way that neon tubes could create glowing lines and shapes that seemed to defy gravity, and began using them to create abstract compositions that played with light and space.

In addition to his neon installations, Antonakos also created a variety of other works, including drawings, prints, and sculptures made from materials like wood and metal. Throughout his career, he remained committed to exploring the relationship between art and architecture, and often created site-specific installations that responded to the specific characteristics of a given space.