Stefanos Lanza was born in Athens and was the son of renowned painter Vikentios Lanza.

He studied at the School of Fine Arts, Athens, where he took up a part-time teaching position in 1894. In 1909 he became a full-time professor until his retirement in 1932.

He painted in oil and watercolour, his work is typical of the academic art of the period and a continuation, in spirit, to that of his father. His themes consist mainly of ancient monuments such as the Acropolis, the Lysicrates monument, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Thissio and so on.

He participated in numerous exhibitions in Athens and Egypt and was awarded the bronze medal at the 1888 Olympia exhibition.

His work is found in many public and private collections, notably: The National Gallery, Athens, the Athens Municipal Gallery, the Leventis Gallery, the Koutlides collection and the National Bank of Greece collection.