Theofilos (Hadjimichael)

Theofilos was born in Varia, Lesvos, sometime between 1868 and 1873, probably in 1870. A self-taught painter, he drew on folk and religious tradition, everyday Greek life, mythology, antiquity, the 1821 War of Independence, and the heroes of Hellenism. In 1884 he moved to Smyrna, where he worked as a guard at the Greek consulate. He returned to Greece in 1896 and fought at Velestino and Domokos. He lived in Milies, Pelion, and in Volos. In 1912 he painted murals in the house of the landowner Yiannis Kondos in Anakasia, Pelion. He lived again in Smyrna from 1904 to 1907 and then moved to Volos. After 1925 he returned to Mytilene, where he painted cafés, shops, churches, and houses across the island. In the summer of 1932 the critic, publisher, and collector Tériade (Stratis Eleftheriadis) met him and became his patron. Theofilos died in Mytilene in 1934. The first monograph on the artist, written by the folklorist Kitsos Makris, was published in 1939. After his death, he was given solo exhibitions in Athens (British Council, 1947; Mytilene Tourist Pavilion, 1962; Hellenic American Union, 1964) and abroad (Paris, 1936; Kunsthalle Bern, 1960; Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Louvre, Paris, 1961). In 1964, the Theofilos Museum, sponsored by Tériade, was built in Varia.