Stephen Antonakos (; November 1, 1926 in Agios Nikolaos,

Laconia Laconia or Lakonia (, , ) is a historical and Administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparti (municipality), Sparta. The word ...

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– August 17, 2013 in

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) was a

Greek-American Greek Americans ( ''Ellinoamerikanoí'' ''Ellinoamerikánoi'' ) are Americans of full or partial Greek ancestry. There is an estimate of 1.2 million Americans of full or partial Greek ancestry. According to the US census, 264,066 people o ...

sculptor most well known for his abstract sculptures often incorporating neon.

Life and works

Antonakos moved with his family from Greece to the United States at the age of 4 and was raised in the

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neighborhood of Bay Ridge. Antonakos's work has been included in several important international exhibitions including

Documenta Documenta (often stylized documenta) is an Art exhibition, exhibition of contemporary art which takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany. Documenta was founded by artist, teacher and curator Arnold Bode in 1955 as part of the Bundesgarte ...

6 in 1977 in Kassel, Germany and he represented Greece at the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...

in 1997. His art is included in major international collections including the

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, The Museum of Modern Art, The Whitney Museum of American Art, The

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, often referred to as The Guggenheim, is an art museum at 1071 Fifth Avenue between 88th and 89th Street (Manhattan), 89th Streets on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It hosts a permanent coll ...

, all in New York City, The National Gallery of Art in

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, The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls, NY, and the

National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens The National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST Εθνικό Μουσείο Σύγχρονης Τέχνης (ΕΜΣΤ)), is a national museum focused on exhibiting contemporary Greek and international art in Athens. It was established in October 200 ...

. Among his public commissions were pieces for airports in

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, and

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and two high-profile works in New York City, "Neon for 42nd Street" (since taken down) and the " 59th street piece- Neon for the 59th street transfer station" (still standing). His large-scale neon installation, ''Proscenium'' (2000), was on view from January 28-June 24, 2018, at the Neuberger Museum of Art,

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. Antonakos was a member of the National Academy of Design and received their lifetime achievement award in 2011.

Selected exhibitions

* ''2020: A Space Full of Drawings and a Drawing in Space,'' Daniel Marzona, Berlin, Germany * 2017: documenta 14, Kassel, Germany * 2012: ''Neon, la materia luminosa dell’arte'', MACRO Museo d’Arte Contemporanea di Roma, Rome, Italy * 2009: ''In and Out of Amsterdam: art & project'',

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

, New York, NY, USA * 2007: ''The Abstract Impulse: Fifty Years of Abstraction at the National Academy 1956 – 2006'',

National Academy Museum and School The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Frederick Styles Agate, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, an ...

, NY, USA * 2005: ''Drawings'',

Neue Nationalgalerie The Neue Nationalgalerie (New National Gallery) at the Kulturforum is a museum for modern art in Berlin, with its main focus on the 20th century. It is part of the National Gallery of the Berlin State Museums. The museum building and its sculpt ...

, Berlin, Germany * ''2002: Adventure of Medias; Sound, Light, and Image'', Kamakura Gallery, Kanagawa, Japan * 2002: ''Probation Area: Arte Povera, Conceptual Art, Minimal Art, Land Art: The Marzona Collection'',

Hamburger Bahnhof Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart is the former Train station#Terminus, terminus of the Berlin–Hamburg Railway in Berlin, Germany, on Invalidenstrasse in the Moabit district opposite the Charité hospital. Today it serves as ...

, Berlin, Germany * 2001: ''Im Spiegel der Freiheit: Giannis Tsarouchis, Stephen Antonakos, George Hadjimichalis'', Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main, Curator: Hellmut Seemann * ''2000: (e così via) (and so on): 99 Artist from the Marzona Collection: arte povera, minimal art, land art'', Galleria Comunale d'Arte Contemporanea, Rome, Italy * 1999: ''Antonakos: „Welcome“ and „Chapel for P.S. 1“'', MoMA PS1, New York City * 1997: ''Chapel of the Heavenly Ladder'', ''47th International Art Exhibition Venice Biennale'', Biennale di Venezia, Venice, Italy * 1989: ''ARTEC,'' 1st International Biennale, Nagoya, Japan * 1987: ''Mathematik in der Kunst der Letzten Dreissig Jahre'', Wilhelm-Hack-Museum, Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Curator: Bernhard Holedzek * 1977: documenta 6, Kassel, Curator: Manfred Schneckenburger * 1975: ''USA Zeichnungen 3'', Schloss Morsbroich, Leverkusen, Curator: Rolf Wedewer und Rolf Ricke * 1975: ''Eight Artists, Eight Attitudes, Eight Greeks'',

Institute of Contemporary Arts The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is an modernism, artistic and cultural centre on The Mall (London), The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. Located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps a ...

, London, UK * 1973: ''Works in Spaces,''

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is a modern art, modern and contemporary art museum and nonprofit organization located in San Francisco, California. SFMOMA was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th-century art ...

, San Francisco, CA, USA * 1973: ''American Drawings'',

Whitney Museum of American Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is a Modern art, modern and Contemporary art, contemporary American art museum located in the Meatpacking District, Manhattan, Meatpacking District and West Village neighbor ...

, New York City, Curator: Elke M. Solomon * 1970: ''Preliminary Drawings'',

, New York, NY, USA * 1966: ''Kunst-Light-Kunst'', Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, Curator: Jean Leering

References

External links

The artist's websiteDaniel Marzona Gallery, Berlin: Stephen Antonakos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Antonakos, Stephen 1926 births 2013 deaths People from Monemvasia Greek contemporary artists Greek emigrants to the United States Neon artists People from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn Sculptors from New York City Sculptors from New York (state)