The son of Nikephoros Lytras and brother of Nikos, he studied at the School of Arts in Athens (1902-1909) and later went on to study in Paris, until 1930. He participated in exhibitions organised by the Association of Greek Artists and in the Venice Biennale (1934); he also held a solo exhibition in Paris (1929) and one in Athens (1931). He was renowned mainly as a landscapist, using the potential of colour to provide structure in his compositions.