Greek-born New York artist Stephen Antonakos died Aug. 17 at 86, according to his dealer, New York's Lori Bookstein, who did not reveal the cause of death.
Antonakos is known for abstract sculpture, often including neon lights. His extensive use of geometric shapes links his work with Minimalism. He also created books, collages and prints.
In an exhibition review in A.i.A. in September 1999, William V. Ganis wrote, "He is a mystic, insistently working with material presence in order to overcome it."
Born in the Greek village of Agios Nikolaos, Laconia, Antonakos came to New York with his family at age 4 and grew up in the Bay Ridge area of Brooklyn.
Antonakos's work appeared in numerous international exhibitions, including Documenta 6 (1977) and the Venice Biennale (1997). He is represented in museum collections including New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and Museum of Modern Art, as well as the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., and Greek national museums of contemporary art in Athens and Salonica. Public artworks have been installed in Athens, Los Angeles, New York, Tel Aviv, Tokyo and Seattle, among other cities.