Takis Marthas was born in Lavrio in 1905.

He studied architecture at the National Technical University of Athens, between 1924 and 1929.

A year after his graduation he was elected a lecturer of Descriptive-Projective Geometry and Perspective Sketching at the NTUA, in 1945 a professor of Architectural Design and 1960 a professor of Freehand Drawing at the Architectural School of the NTUA, remaining in this position until his death.

His early figurative work is characterised by a lyrical feeling echoing influences of fauvism and expressionism. His subject matter of either seascape, human or animal is readable, but not dominant as an image; what is important is the composition and its relationship with colour.

His architectural background, knowledge of geometry and the use of different materials, helped him to produce textured surfaces that emphasised the materiality of his paintings. A spirituality achieved in his work is expressed through the combination of structural-rational elements resulting in an undisputed emotional sensitivity.

He gradually moved away from figurative painting, and from the 1960s he is established as one of the pioneers of abstract art in Greece. 

Marthas presented his work in a number of solo and group exhibitions, notably: the 1959 ‘Exhibition of Modern Greek Art’ at the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, the 1961 Sao Paolo Biennale, the 1961 International Drawing Exhibition, New York, and the 1964 ‘Peinture Grecque Contemporaine’ at the Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels.

In 1959 he was awarded the Diplome d’Honneur at the Salon de L’Art Libre in Paris.

His work is found in many public and private collections, notably that of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the National Gallery of Greece, the Athens Municipal Gallery, the Rhodes Municipal Gallery and the National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation.