Matthias Laurenz Gräff

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[3] (2022)

Matthias Laurenz Gräff was born into an Austrian family of several politics and artists. He is the child of Helmuth Gräff, an academic painter, and Martina Maria Gräff (née Gach), art professor, daughter of the architect Richard Gach. His paternal Graeff-ancestors were politically active and religious free thinkers with their own coat of arms.[3] Since 2010, Gräff has been in a civil partnership with Greek-born Georgia Kazantzidu, a Webster Vienna Private University graduate, local SPÖ politician and journalist, with whom he runs various joint projects.[4] In 2013 Gräff became chairman of the worldwide Family Association Gräff-Graeff (Familienverband Gräff-Graeff e.V.).[5]

"Matthias Laurenz Gräff in holländischer Tracht"[3] (Matthias Laurenz Gräff in traditional dutch costume), chairman of the Family Association Gräff-Graeff as sort of an official painting by Helmuth Gräff (2007)

Artist meeting with Don Airey of Deep Purple. Matthias Laurenz Gräff, Don Airey and Georgia Kazantzidu

At the age of 17 Matthias Laurenz Gräff began to study illustration and graphic at the private New Design University St. Pölten,[6] and in the following years he took part at the summer academy of Geras of Bernhard Hollemann.[7] From 2002 to 2008 he studied at Wolfgang Herzig's masterclass of painting at the University of Applied Arts Vienna.[8] In his work he combines a certain expressionism influenced by pop art with the expression of different genres: historical, political, religious works, urban or rural landscapes, nudes, flower pieces, portraits, interieurs and stilllifes including painting of vanities.[9][10][11]

In 2010, at the 64th annual fair of St Pöltens Künstlerbund (Art union), he received the "Adolf Peschek Preis" (Adolf Peschek Public Award) in the Museum of the City of St. Pölten.[12] Two years later Gräff created the painting for the vine etiquette of the Red Cross in Lower Austria.[13] In 2013, upon the occasion of the celebration of the sister city of his hometown Gars am Kamp, Gars am Inn in Germany, he created the official twin city painting.[14][15] In 2014, Gräff was commissioned to create three paintings for the vine etiquettes "Garser Wein 2014".[16][17] A local businessman boycott the publishing of the etiquettes about the illustration of a half naked woman, and this led to a little media scandal in Austria.[18][19][20] Two years later, Gräff again received from the mayor's bureau of Gars am Kamp a contract to create three paintings for the vine etiquettes "Garser Wein 2016" (10 years Garser Wein).[21][22]

In his paintings, Gräff also deals with literary themes, including the implementation of the content of the author 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]

Matthias Laurenz Gräff is also active in history painting. His diploma series (Magister artium) from 2007/2008 entitled Weltaussenschau-Weltinnenschau shows a seven-part series of paintings with depictions of historical figures and numerous protagonists of the De Graeff family, mostly from the Dutch Golden Age.[33] In the years that followed, Gräff painted historical characters and circumstances. Various of these paintings have also been used in essays by historians, including Asle Toje, member of the Norwegian Nobel Committee,[34] and german university professor Ronald G. Asch.[35] In a commissioned work for the Lions Club, Gräff drew portraits of 20th-century pacifists on a life-size lion. It thus serves as a carrier of a humanistic, socially just and ethical attitude.[36]

Matthias Laurenz Gräff has been working on contemporary images of political and social criticism since 2015, which have been published several times in newspapers, blogs and books on national and international politics.[37] Important topics are anti-fascism, socialism, anti-nationalist, pro-European,[38] 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.[39] In relation of the 2019 European Parliament election, Gräff created a pro-European painting in collaboration with the Austrian party NEOS.[40] 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.[38]

Georg Vetter, Matthias Laurenz Gräff, Georgia Kazantzidu, Karin Kneissl and Michael Breisky (Dialog im Kamptal, 2020)

Matthias Laurenz Gräff as NEOS candidate and NEOS party leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger in 2023

Matthias Laurenz Gräff and Georgia Kazantzidu organizes the non-partisan political and diplomatic platform Dialog im Kamptal (Dialogue in Kamptal) in the art studio Gräff - house Kazantzidu in Gars am Kamp. The events aim to inform, exchange and dialogue on relevant political, diplomatic and social issues.[4] Erhard Busek, Wolfgang Brandstetter, Karin Kneissl, Hannes Swoboda, Emil Brix, Wolfgang Petritsch, Karl von Habsburg among other, took part in the events.[41][42]

Matthias Laurenz Gräff has been politically active as a community representative in Gars am Kamp for the liberal NEOS party since 2022.[43] He is also a candidate for the Lower Austrian state elections in 2023,[44] and here as a candidate for the Waldviertel region[45] and as a top candidate for the Horn district.[46][47][48]