Wikipedia

Matthias Laurenz Gräff

Austrian artist, political activist, politician and historian

Matthias Laurenz Gräff (also known as Matthias Laurenz Gräff Ilpenstein;[3][4] born 19 July 1984) is an Austrian-greek[5] painter, historian, politician and political activist.

Matthias Laurenz Gräff
Matthias Laurenz Gräff in 2016
Born (1984-07-19) 19 July 1984 (age 40)
Horn, Lower Austria
Known forpainting, drawing
Notable workpolitical paintings[1]
MovementExpressionism, Expressive Realism, Modern art, Pop art
AwardsAdolf Peschek public Award (City museum of St. Pölten, 2014)
WebsiteOfficial website
Matthias Laurenz Gräff
"Matthias Laurenz Gräff in holländischer Tracht"[2] (Matthias Laurenz Gräff in traditional dutch costume), as sort of an officiel painting by Helmuth Gräff (2007)
Chairman of Family Association Gräff-Graeff
Reign1 August 2013 – present
PredecessorNew creation
Born (1984-07-19) 19 July 1984 (age 40)
Gars am Kamp, Lower Austria, Austria
SpouseGeorgia Kazantzidu
Full name
Matthias Laurenz Gräff Ilpenstein
HouseDe Graeff
FatherHelmuth Gräff
MotherMartina Maria Elisabeth Gräff
ReligionIrreligion

Background

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Matthias Laurenz Gräff is the son of the artist Helmuth Gräff and the art professor Martina Maria Elisabeth Gräff,[6] daughter of the architect Richard Gach. His paternal ancestors were politically active and religious free thinkers with their own coat of arms[7] who belonged to the Dutch De Graeff family.[8] In 2013 Matthias Laurenz Gräff became a co-founder and chairman of the worldwide Family Association Gräff-Graeff ("Familienverband Gräff-Graeff e.V."). The family association serves to research and bring together the noble and patrician families Graeff, who are natural descendants of the Austrian nobleman Wolfgang von Graben († 1521).[9] He lives in a partnership with the Greek-born born Georgia Kazantzidu.[6] They lives in Gars am Kamp, Austria and Platamonas, Greece.[5]

Works

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Matthias Laurenz Gräff and Karl von Habsburg - head of the Habsburg-Lorraine family, the former Roman-German and Austrian imperial families - in front of Graeff's coat of arms[10] (2022)

Matthias Laurenz Gräff studied art at the University of Applied Arts Vienna and get his master degree in 2008.[6][11] Gräff paints still lifes, pieces of flowers, interiors, landscapes, architecture, allegories, nudes, compositions, historical themes.[6][12] His political paintings are published by national and international books, magazines and blogs.[13][14]

In 2010 he received the "Adolf Peschek Preis" (Adolf Peschek Public Award) in the Museum of the City of St. Pölten.[15] In 2012 Gräff created the painting for the vine etiquette of the Red Cross in Lower Austria.[16] In 2013 Gräff created the officiel twin city painting for Gars am Inn (Germany).[17][18] In 2014, he received a contract to create three paintings for the vine etiquettes "Garser Wein 2014".[19][20] A local businessman boycott the publishing of the etiquettes about the illustration of Georgia Kazantzidu as a half naked woman. This led to a little media scandal in Austria.[21][22][23]

In his paintings, Gräff also deals with literary themes, including the implementation of the content of the writer Erich Maria Remarque. He participated in large memorial exhibitions in the Erich Maria Remarque Peace Center in Osnabrück.[24][25][26][27] The museum also features paintings by Gräff.[28][29][30][31][32][33] His painting “Der Weg zurück” serves as the book cover of “Das Wunderbare, die Idylle und der Krieg: Aufsätze zu Erich Maria Remarque und zur Lyrik des Ersten Weltkriegs”, published by the University of Osnabrück / Erich Maria Remarque Peace Center Osnabrück.[34] It is also part of the book Networking Remarque: Zum 125. Geburtstag Erich Maria Remarques[35] again published by the University of Osnabrück / Erich Maria Remarque Peace Center Osnabrück.

Politics

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Art and politics

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Matthias Laurenz Gräff has been working on contemporary images of political and social criticism since 2015,[6] which have been published several times in newspapers, blogs and books on national and international politics.[14][36] Important topics are anti-fascism, socialism, anti-nationalist, pro-European,[14] liberalism and tradition. Gräff deals with national and global issues and personalities. He also deals with socio-political issues and critical processes in Austrian society and politics.

In relation of the 2019 European Parliament election, Gräff created a pro-European painting in collaboration with the Austrian party NEOS.[37]

The Erich Maria Remarque-Friedenszentrum (University of Osnabrück) wrote about Gräff: He consistently represents humanistic, anti-nationalist and pro-European positions both in his art and in various exchange and discussion programs organized by him.[14]

Dialog im Kamptal

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Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl, Martina Maria Elisabeth Gräff and Matthias Laurenz Gräff (2020)

Matthias Laurenz Gräff organizes the non-partisan political and diplomatic platform Dialog im Kamptal (Dialogue in Kamptal) with his girlfriend Georgia Kazantzidu in his art studio in Gars am Kamp.[38][39] Erhard Busek, Wolfgang Brandstetter, Karin Kneissl, Karl von Habsburg, Wolfgang Petritsch and Hannes Swoboda where just some of the renowned speakers.[40]

Politician

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Matthias Laurenz Gräff, official NEOS Representative for Greece

Matthias Laurenz Gräff has been politically active as a community representative in Gars am Kamp for the austrian liberal parliamentary NEOS party since 2022.[41] He was also a candidate for the Lower Austrian state elections in 2023,[42] and here as a candidate for the Waldviertel region[43] and as a top candidate for the Horn district.[44][45]

In March 2024 Matthias Laurenz Gräff took over the role of official Representative for Greece for the parliamentary party NEOS. The state representatives are part of the state organization NEOS X - International, in which politics is made by and for Austrians abroad. Gräff represents NEOS in Greece both internally and externally. In addition to representing Austrians abroad, this function also includes establishing contacts and cooperation with liberal Greek parties.[46][47][48]

References

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  1. ↑ www.meinbezirk.at, Matthias Laurenz Gräff als politischer Künstler (in German)
  2. ↑ Magazin "Schaufenster" der Kultur.Region Niederösterreich, Ausgabe I, 2022: "Eine Familien-Ausstellung" p 12-15; p 14 (in German)
  3. ↑ Basis Wien, Angewandte (ger)
  4. ↑ Deutsche Fotothek (ger)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Hephaestus Wien. „NEOS X – International vertreten Österreicher in Griechenland“ – Gräff wird NEOS-Repräsentant für Griechenland
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Ραδιοφωνική συνέντευξη: POETS Radio. Irene Gavala, Exclusive interview | Matthias Laurenz Graeff | Ζωγραφίζοντας., 2018 (greek)
  7. ↑ Magazin "Schaufenster" der Kultur.Region Niederösterreich, Ausgabe I, 2022: "Eine Familien-Ausstellung" p 12-15; p 14 (in German)
  8. ↑ Helmuth Gräff im austria-forum
  9. ↑ "Familienverband Gräff-Graeff e. V." Familienverband Gräff - Graeff, Historie-Gegenwart-Zukunft e. V. Archived from the original on 2019-06-17. Retrieved 2019-11-03.
  10. ↑ Magazin "Schaufenster" der Kultur.Region Niederösterreich, Ausgabe I, 2022: "Eine Familien-Ausstellung" p 12-15; p 14 (in German)
  11. ↑ Universität für Angewandte Kunst, Bildarchiv zu Studienschlussarbeiten Archived 2019-01-21 at the Wayback Machine (in German)
  12. ↑ Lions Club. Löwen los. Matthias Laurenz Gräff
  13. ↑ "Homepage". Matthias Laurenz Gräff, Politik - political paintings & activism. Archived from the original on 2019-01-15. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Universität Osnabrück, Erich Maria Remarque-Friedenszentrum (niem., ang.)
  15. ↑ St Pöltner Künstlerbund Archived 2014-12-29 at the Wayback Machine; accessed 7 August 2015. (in German)
  16. ↑ Newspaper article: NÖN, Etikette hilft Kinderburg Archived 2015-01-01 at the Wayback Machine; accessed 7 August 2015. (in German)
  17. ↑ "Wilde Ehe" nach 50 Jahren legalisiert (Bayern, Deutschland) (in German) Archived 2013-08-16 at Archive.today; accessed 7 August 2015.
  18. ↑ Newspaper article: NÖN, Es lebe unsere Freundschaft! Archived 2015-01-01 at the Wayback Machine; accessed 7 August 2015. (in German)
  19. ↑ Newspaper article: NÖN, "Garser" muss weg!; Archived 2015-01-01 at the Wayback Machine accessed 7 August 2015. (in German)
  20. ↑ Newspaper article: NÖN, Allen Menschen recht getan ... Column of Rupert Kornell Archived 2015-01-01 at the Wayback Machine; accessed 7 August 2015. (in German)
  21. ↑ Newspaper article: NÖN, "Streit um nackte Muse auf Weinetikett" Archived 2014-05-07 at the Wayback Machine; accessed 7 August 2015. (in German)
  22. ↑ "Weinetiketten zu sexy". Newspaper: Bezirksblätter (in German). Archived from the original on 2015-01-29. Retrieved 2014-12-29.
  23. ↑ Matthias Laurenz Gräff, Press 2014-2018, "Kunstzensur des Garser Weines 2014" Archived 2019-01-21 at the Wayback Machine; accessed 7 August 2015. (in German)
  24. ↑ Friedensstadt Osnabrück. „Networking Remarque“ und „Ein Geschenk für Remarque“: Zwei Ausstellungen zum 125. Geburtstag des Schriftstellers
  25. ↑ www.presse-service.de „Networking Remarque“ und „Ein Geschenk für Remarque“: Zwei Ausstellungen zum 125. Geburtstag des Schriftstellers
  26. ↑ Hasepost: Ein Geschenk für zum 125. Geburtstag: Neue Ausstellungen ehren Osnabrücker Schriftsteller Erich Maria Remarque
  27. ↑ "Osnabrücker Rundschau: „Networking Remarque" und „Ein Geschenk für Remarque"". Archived from the original on 2023-06-26. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  28. ↑ Universität Osnabrück, Erich Maria Remarque-Friedenszentrum
  29. ↑ Erich Maria Remarque-Friedenszentrum. 125. Geburtstag Erich Maria Remarques am 22. Juni 2023
  30. ↑ www.meinbezirk.at, "Weltweit Worldwide Remarque" in Osnabrück (De) mit Künstler Matthias Laurenz Gräff
  31. ↑ Gefragter Niederösterreichische Nachrichten, Künstler. Zweites Gräff-Bild für Friedenszentrum
  32. ↑ www.meinbezirk.at, Auf den Spuren von Erich Maria Remarque. Gräff auf internationaler Sonderausstellung
  33. ↑ Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung. Remarques Geburtstag: Erste Geschenke sind in Osnabrück eingetroffen
  34. ↑ Das Wunderbare, die Idylle und der Krieg: Aufsätze zu Erich Maria Remarque und zur Lyrik des Ersten Weltkriegs, Alice Cadeddu, Claudia Junk, Thomas F. Schneider, V&R Unipress, 13.11.2023 (in German)
  35. ↑ Cadeddu, Alice; Junk, Claudia; Schneider, Thomas F. (January 22, 2024). Networking Remarque: Zum 125. Geburtstag Erich Maria Remarques. V&R Unipress. ISBN 978-3-8470-1699-1 – via Google Books.
  36. ↑ "Homepage". Matthias Laurenz Gräff, Politik - political paintings & activism. Archived from the original on 2019-01-15. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
  37. ↑ Austrian newspaper article: NÖN, Gräff-Atelier empfängt zu „Europa-Dialog“ im Kamptal
  38. ↑ NOEGVV. KI Magazin. Kommunale Information des Verbands sozialdemokratischer GemeindevertreterInnen in NÖ, Nummer 01/2023: „GEORGIA KANN MAN NICHT IN IRGENDEINE SCHUBLADE STECKEN“ (p 18/19) (in German)
  39. ↑ Donau Universität Krems (ger)
  40. ↑ Dialog im Kamptal (ger)
  41. ↑ NEOS, Niederösterreich, Gars am Kamp (in German)
  42. ↑ Newspaper article NÖN. "Mitgliederversammlung. Indra Collini führt NEOS wieder als Spitzenkandidatin in Landtagswahl" (in German)
  43. ↑ Newspaper article NÖN Horn. Interview mit Gräff: „Mensch muss im Mittelpunkt stehen!“ (in German)
  44. ↑ Newspaper article Bezirksblätter Horn. NEOS fixieren Wahlkreislistenersten für Horn (in German)
  45. ↑ Newspaper article NÖN Horn. Auch pinke Liste im Bezirk Horn ist jetzt fix (in German)
  46. ↑ NEOS. NEOS X - International. Representatives
  47. ↑ NEOS Representatives, Matthias Laurenz Gräff, Rep Griechenland[permanent dead link]
  48. ↑ NÖN: "Garser Matthias Gräff ist der NEOS-Mann für Griechenland"

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