Stavros Bonatsos was born in 1945 in Athens. He studied painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts (1964 – 1969) under Yiannis Moralis. He pursued studies in lithography and painting in Paris at the École des Beaux-arts and the École des Arts Appliqués et des Art Métiers (1972 – 1976), on a scholarship granted by the Hellenic Organization of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises. Since 1978 he has been teaching at the Vakalo School, and in Patras. He has produced works for public spaces (Heraklion, Rethymnon, Glyfada, Vouliagmeni, Vytina, Marathon).

He has also worked as a photographer and stage designer. His work has been presented in solo and group exhibitions in Greece and abroad, including the Pan-Hellenic exhibitions (1967, 1971, 1973, 1975 and 1987), the Salon de la Jeune Sculpture in Paris (1974, 1975, 1976), etc. He is a member of the Chamber of Fine Arts of Greece.