The painter and writer Takis Eleftheriadis was born in 1911 in Petra, Lesbos, where he lived and passed away in 1987. He came from a family with a deep love for arts and letters; his cousin was the renowned art critic, publisher, and collector Stratis Eleftheriadis-Teriade, and his daughter is the painter Niki Eleftheriadi.
He began painting in 1925, pursuing it systematically from 1930 until he stopped in 1959. His painting mentor was G. Gounaropoulos, whose influence is evident in the early phase of his work, particularly in his treatment of color and manipulation of contours. Later on, his work aligned with Cubism, showing clear influences from Picasso, while an underlying surrealist mood can often be discerned. His oeuvre primarily consists of still lifes and landscapes.
He also engaged with literature (publishing the short stories “The Rooster or On the Object” and “Registrar’s Office”) and designed stage models, which he exhibited in 1959.
He was a member of the “Techni” (Art) Group, as well as a founding member of both the “Armos” and “Stathmi” Art Groups.
He held five solo exhibitions in Athens (Studio Rok 1934, Stratigopoulou Hall 1936, Rombos Hall 1948, 1950, and Zygos Gallery 1959). He also participated in numerous group exhibitions in Greece and abroad, including the Panhellenic Art Exhibitions of 1938, 1939, 1940, and 1948, the “Stathmi” Group exhibition in Thessaloniki (1951), the São Paulo Biennial (1959), the Exhibition of Modern Greek Art in Canada (1959), and the Alexandria Biennale (1961). In 1960, he received an honorable mention as a candidate for the Guggenheim International Award.
His works are housed in the National Gallery of Greece, the Municipal Art Galleries of Athens and Rhodes, and other collections.