From the outset of her appointment and with the support of the Board of Directors and the Museum Director, Mr. Kostas Maniatopoulos, the president of the Stratis Eleftheriadis TÉRIADE Museum-Library, Mrs. Lila de Chaves-Chronopoulos, focused on developing the extroversion of this very important Museum in Mytilene, as a landmark of "modernism" not only for Greece, since it is the first Museum of Modern Art in Greece, but also for the international art scene, given that it houses unique works by the most important painters of the 20th century internationally, such as Picasso, Matisse, Shagall, Giacometti, Leger, Modigliani, and others, as well as Greek painters of the modernist era in the last century.

A Legacy Rooted in Modern Art
A Greek native of the island of Lesbos, Stratis Eleftheriadis – internationally known by his pseudonym Tériade –moved to Paris in 1916, where he pursued a career in the art world, first as a critic (1926-1936) and then as a publisher (1937-1975). Adopting the idealistic view of Greece promoted by the French intelligentsia, far removed from both the recent hardships endured by the Greek people and the approach of contemporary Greek artists, Tériade highlighted an ancient, mythical, and bucolic Greece through his publications. With rare exceptions, such as Yannis Tsarouchis and Manolis Calliyannis, Tériade did not really develop relationships with Greek painters. However, from the late 1950s onwards, thanks to his friends Angelos Katakouzinos, Odysseas Elytis, and Tsarouchis, he developed a nostalgia for Greece and especially for his native island.

The result of this nostalgia was the significant donation of two museums to the Greek state: the Theophilos Museum (1965) and the Stratis Eleftheriadis-Tériade Museum-Library (1979), founded on his native land. The creation of these two museums, in line with the idea of cultural decentralization promoted in France by André Malraux, not only contributed to the cultural and economic life of Lesbos but also facilitated Tériade's repatriation and his legitimization among the intelligentsia and, more broadly, the Greek public as a patron of the diaspora.

A Champion of Modernism
Tériade played a pivotal role in promoting modern art by collaborating with some of the most iconic artists of his time, including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Marc Chagall, Joan Miró, and Le Corbusier

Founder of Legendary Art Publications

• Minotaure (1933–1937): Co-founded with Albert Skira, this avant-garde magazine explored art, poetry, music, architecture, and psychoanalysis.
• Verve (1937–1960): A quarterly journal that became a landmark in art publishing. Tériade commissioned original works from leading artists, blending visual art with literary contributions to create richly illustrated volumes
• Grands Livres: A series of artist books that paired visual masterpieces with philosophical and poetic texts, elevating the concept of the "livre d’artiste" to new heights

A Cultural Bridge Between Greece and France
Though he lived in Paris for most of his life, Tériade remained deeply connected to his native island, Lesvos. Today, his continues at the TÉRIADE Museum-Library in Mytilene, which houses his extraordinary collection and continues to support local artists and cultural exchange.

Fostering Artistic Collaboration
Tériade was known for his ability to bring together artists, poets, and intellectuals, creating a vibrant network of creative minds. His publications were not just beautiful objects—they were platforms for dialogue and innovation. In essence, Tériade didn’t just publish art—he curated cultural movements, nurtured artistic relationships, and left behind a legacy that continues to inspire.

Celebrating Lesvos’ Artistic Voices
The TÉRIADE Museum-Library recently hosted a group art exhibition titled "Conversations with TÉRIADE", supported by the North Aegean Region. This initiative reflected the enduring vision of Stratis Eleftheriadis to promote local artistic expression and foster cultural dialogue. Future plans include presenting selections from Tériade’s renowned collection at the French Embassy in Athens. This recent exhibition featured works by Yannis Agathos, Stratis Athineos, Dimitris Karapiperis, Konstantinos Maniatopoulos, Amelia Elena Dolanga, Efstratios Kavarnos, Giorgos Katsaros, and Eleni Rousopoulou—artists either from Lesvos or actively working on the island. As the Museum’s Director Kostas Maniatopoulos explained, Tériade’s vision was not only to donate his collection but to establish a space where artists could engage with the public through their work.

“This exhibition brings together some of the most distinguished artists from Lesvos”, Maniatopoulos noted. “Rather than impose a theme, we aimed to offer a comprehensive presentation, with enough works from each artist to give viewers a full sense of their creative voice”. The Museum’s Board of Directors has stipulated that participating artists must be graduates of Fine Arts Schools or members of the Greek Chamber of Fine Arts.

A Museum for Dialogue and Discovery
The president of the Museum, Lila de Chaves-Chronopoulos emphasized Tériade’s founding vision: a museum that fosters both the study of art and the cultivation of public artistic awareness. “Art exhibitions—even those that seem tailored to connoisseurs—are not exclusive gatherings for experts,” she said in her welcome address. “They are social events that inspire reflection, delight the senses, and communicate in diverse aesthetic languages”. She concluded by expressing the Museum’s commitment to establishing an ongoing dialogue between artists and the local community, with plans to expand into lectures, educational programs, and workshops.

Strengthening Cultural Ties with France
The Museum continues to expand its outreach, with exhibitions held in Heraklion, Patras, and the Theocharakis Foundation. Given Tériade’s deep ties to France—where he lived for decades and where many of his commissioned artists originated—the Museum is advancing efforts to deepen its cultural ties with France—a country where Tériade spent much of his life and whose artistic legacy is reflected in the collection. These efforts have already begun to yield results, notably since the Museum organized a commemorative event for French Independence Day three years ago, initiating a series of meaningful exchanges. In fact, recently, the entire dining room of Tériade’s iconic home in Cannes, the famous "Villa Natacha", where he hosted all his important painter friends, was removed, along with a stained glass window by Matisse and works by Giacometti and others, and was transferred to the Matisse Museum in northern France.

As part of this ongoing collaboration, the President of the Museum, Lila de Chaves-Chronopoulos, has recently entered discussions with the French Ambassador to Greece, Laurence Auer, with the aim of arranging a formal presentation of the Tériade collection at the French Embassy in February of 2026.

“This development is significant for both the Museum and the island,” Maniatopoulos remarked. “It opens new horizons and builds a continuity that can extend beyond Greece.” He also referenced the Museum’s Theophilos Collection, which was previously exhibited at the Louvre, underscoring France’s interest in cultural exchange. “We hope that when the time comes, we’ll be ready—either through our own resources or with support from local stakeholders.”

The President of the Stratis Eleftheriadis TÉRIADE Museum-Library, Mrs. Lila de Chaves-Chronopoulos, welcomes the establishment of an important annual event at the Museum in August in honor of Strati Eleftheriadis-Tériade for his great intellectual contribution to his native island, Mytilene. 

At the same time, she is committed to responding positively and creatively to the excellent proposal made to her by the Director of the Matisse du Cateau-Cambrésis Museum in France, Mr. Patrice Deparpe, so that these two emblematic museums can collaborate and forge close cultural ties, just as their founders, the renowned painter Matisse and the exceptional art critic, publisher, and collector Stratis Eleftheriadis-Teriade.