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Peter Forakis
Peter Forakis is considered to be one of the forerunners of the avant-garde movement that used mathematical concepts in the visual arts. He is a sculptor who bases his work on geometric space, and rhomboidal modules and truncated cubes. Forakis deals with a variety of media with his sculptures, such as, marble steel, aluminum, bronze, wood, stainless, and cardboard.He expresses abstract expressionism in a way that flows throughout the sculpture and around its environment.

He was born in Hanna, Wyoming where he spent 12 years of his life, then soon moved to Oakland with his family only to stay one year before moving to Modesto. He was in Modesto for a year and a half until he joined the Merchant Marine. In 1953, Forakis opened up a studio in Modesto. Forakis’ first pieces of artwork expressed a lot of emotionalism and were very figurative. He moved to San Francisco where he attended the California School of Fine Arts (now the Art Institute) where he received his bachelors of fine art degree in 1957. Most of his early sculptures were focused about the nature of the objects he put them together, how the shapes made him feel when joined together in certain positions.

He, and along with others formed Six Gallery. The Gallery showed the members artwork plus others in the area who had never been shown before. Allan Ginsberg read his “Howl” there, and the “No Named Dada Band” had it’s first hearing there. Mark di Suvero,Chuck Ginnever,Dean Fleming,Manual Neri and Joan Brown were among the active members. Forakis also created the Park Place Gallery in SoHo in Lower Manhattan along with Bob Grosvenor, Mark di Suvero, Forrest Myers, Ed Ruda, Dean Fleming, Tony Magar, and Leo Valledor. He has held many teaching positions at the University of California at Berkely, University of Kentuky, Pennsylvania State University,Windham College in Vermont, Carnegie Technical School of Architecture and Art, and the Brooklyn Museum Art School.

His pieces are established all over the world, the most notable one is known at the “Atlanta Gateway”. Forakis’ abstract expressionistic sculpting is currently featured in solo and group exhibitions, galleries, many public and private collections in Europe, Asia and the United States.

He currently resides and works in Petaluma, California.

Education/ Distinctions

 * 1927 Born Hanna, Wyoming