Takis (Panayiotis Vassilakis)

Panayiotis Vassilakis, known as Takis (1925–2019), has been a leading figure in the Greek and international art scene of the 20th century. A self-taught artist, he developed an innovative language that combined art with science and technology, exploring the interactions of electricity, light, and sound.

His multidisciplinary work ranges from sculpture and kinetic art to experimentation with physical phenomena, while he also worked as a set designer and music supervisor for theater plays and performances. He lived and created in key cultural metropolises such as Paris, London, New York, and Athens.

He collaborated with leading institutions such as the Centre Pompidou and MoMA, and his work has been shown in major international events, including documenta (1977, 2017), the Venice Biennale (1995), and the Paris Biennale (1985). In 2019, Tate Modern organized a major retrospective exhibition of his work, confirming his defining contribution to contemporary art.

In 1986, he established the “Takis Foundation—Research Center for the Art and Sciences” in Gerovouno, Attica, which continues to this day to keep his research alive and to promote his artistic and scientific legacy.