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Red Neon Circle Fragments on a Blue Wall 1978 by Stephen Antonakos
Photo CreditPhoto courtesy of McKay Lodge Fine Arts Conservation Laboratory, Inc.
Red Neon Circle Fragments on a Blue Wall 1978
Photo CreditPhoto courtesy of McKay Lodge Fine Arts Conservation Laboratory, Inc.

Red Neon Circle Fragments on a Blue Wall 1978

Year1978
Classification sculpture
Medium Neon tubes on enameled panels
Dimensions8 × 58 × 1 ft. (96 × 695 15/16 × 12 in.)
Credits Commissioned through the Art in Architecture Program
Fine Arts Collection
U.S. General Services Administration

  • The sculpture is located over the main entrance to the federal building and US Courthouse, Dayton, Ohio and consists of Neon tubes on enameled panel sculpture, secured on cast stone/concrete.  



    Stephen Antonakos designed Red Neon Circles on a Blue Wall to create a "people's" entrance to a "free government". The blue strip that runs along the width of the building lightens the darker area underneath. Together with the red neon forms, the sculpture enhances "the mood of the entrance," making it more inviting. The artwork visually changes throughout the day; during the daytime the blue is visible and emphasizes the entrance while at night it becomes a dark background upon which the neon forms seem to float.