Matthias Laurenz Gräff (also known as Matthias Laurenz Gräff Ilpenstein;[2][3] born 19 July 1984) is an Austrian-greek[4]painter, historian, politician and political activist.
Background
Matthias Laurenz Gräff is the son of the artist Helmuth Gräff and the art professor Martina Maria Elisabeth Gräff,[5] daughter of the architect Richard Gach. His paternal ancestors were politically active and religious free thinkers with their own coat of arms[6] who belonged to the Dutch De Graeff family.[7] 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).[8] He lives in a partnership with the Greek-born born Georgia Kazantzidu.[5] They lives in Gars am Kamp, Austria and Platamonas, Greece.[4]
Works
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[9] (2022)
Matthias Laurenz Gräff studied art at the University of Applied Arts Vienna and get his master degree in 2008.[5][10] Gräff paints still lifes, pieces of flowers, interiors, landscapes, architecture, allegories, nudes, compositions, historical themes.[5][11] His political paintings are published by national and international books, magazines and blogs.[12][13]
In 2010 he received the "Adolf Peschek Preis" (Adolf Peschek Public Award) in the Museum of the City of St. Pölten.[14] In 2012 Gräff created the painting for the vine etiquette of the Red Cross in Lower Austria.[15] In 2013 Gräff created the officiel twin city painting for Gars am Inn (Germany).[16][17] In 2014, he received a contract to create three paintings for the vine etiquettes "Garser Wein 2014".[18][19] 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.[20][21][22]
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.[23][24][25][26] The museum also features paintings by Gräff.[27][28][29][30][31][32] 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.[33] It is also part of the book Networking Remarque: Zum 125. Geburtstag Erich Maria Remarques[34] again published by the University of Osnabrück / Erich Maria Remarque Peace Center Osnabrück.
Politics
Art and politics
Matthias Laurenz Gräff has been working on contemporary images of political and social criticism since 2015,[5] which have been published several times in newspapers, blogs and books on national and international politics.[13][35] Important topics are anti-fascism, socialism, anti-nationalist, pro-European,[13] 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.
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.[13]
Dialog im Kamptal
Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl, Martina Maria Elisabeth Gräff and Matthias Laurenz Gräff (2020)
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.[40] He was also a candidate for the Lower Austrian state elections in 2023,[41] and here as a candidate for the Waldviertel region[42] and as a top candidate for the Horn district.[43][44]
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.[45][46][47]
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