Matthias Laurenz Gräff facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Matthias Laurenz Gräff
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Matthias Laurenz Gräff in 2016
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| Born | 19 July 1984 Gars am Kamp, Lower Austria
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| Known for | painting, drawing |
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Notable work
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political paintings |
| Movement | Expressionism, Expressive Realism, Modern art, Pop art |
| Awards | Adolf Peschek public Award (City museum of St. Pölten, 2014) |
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Matthias Laurenz Gräff
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| Chairman of the worldwide Family Association Gräff-Graeff | |
| Assumed office 1 August 2013 |
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| NEOS Representative for Greece | |
| Assumed office 25 March 2024 |
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| Personal details | |
| Political party | NEOS – The New Austria and Liberal Forum |
| Spouse | Georgia Kazantzidu |
| Parents |
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| Website | NEOS Representative Matthias Laurenz Gräff |
Matthias Laurenz Gräff (born on July 19, 1984) is an artist and politician from Austria and Greece. He is a painter, a historian, and a political activist.
Matthias is also a co-founder of a group called Dialog im Kamptal. Since 2013, he has been in charge of the worldwide Family Association Gräff-Graeff. In 2024, he became the official representative for Greece for the NEOS political party.
Contents
About Matthias Laurenz Gräff
His Family
Matthias Laurenz Gräff comes from an Austrian family with many artists and politicians. His father, Helmuth Gräff, is also a painter. His mother, Martina Maria Elisabeth Gräff, is an art professor.
Matthias's family has a special symbol called a coat of arms. They are connected to an old Dutch noble family called De Graeff. In 2013, Matthias became the leader of the global Family Association Gräff-Graeff.
Since 2010, Matthias has been with Georgia Kazantzidu. She is from Greece and is a journalist and politician. They live in Gars am Kamp, Austria, and Platamon, Greece. Matthias loves Greek culture, which is called Philhellenism.
His Art
Matthias Laurenz Gräff started drawing when he was very young. He studied art at the New Design University St. Pölten and the University of Applied Arts Vienna. He also studied philosophy at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.
Matthias is a member of the St. Pöltner Künstlerbund, which is an art group. In 2010, he won the "Adolf Peschek Preis" for his art.
He has created many special paintings:
- In 2012, he painted a picture for the wine labels of the Red Cross in Lower Austria.
- In 2013, he made an official painting for his hometown, Gars am Kamp, to celebrate its sister city in Germany.
- In 2014 and 2016, he created paintings for the "Garser Wein" wine labels.
Matthias also paints about books and stories. He has worked on themes from the author Erich Maria Remarque. His paintings are shown in the Erich Maria Remarque Peace Center in Osnabrück, Germany. One of his paintings, “Der Weg zurück” (The Way Back), is even used in books about Remarque.
Paintings about History
Matthias Laurenz Gräff also creates paintings about historical events and people. His special series of paintings from 2007/2008, called Weltaussenschau-Weltinnenschau, shows important figures from history. Many of these are from the De Graeff family during the Dutch Golden Age.
His historical paintings have been used in essays by historians. He also painted portraits of people who worked for peace in the 20th century for the Lions Club. These paintings show his belief in human rights and fairness.
His Politics
Art and Politics
Since 2015, Matthias Laurenz Gräff has been creating art that comments on political and social issues. His work often appears in newspapers and books. He focuses on topics like anti-fascism, socialism, and being pro-European. He also looks at social and political problems in Austria.
For the 2019 European Parliament election, he made a painting that supported Europe, working with the Austrian party NEOS. The Erich Maria Remarque Peace Center said that he always supports humanistic, anti-nationalist, and pro-European ideas in his art and in his discussions.
Dialog im Kamptal
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Matthias Laurenz Gräff and Georgia Kazantzidu organize a group called Dialog im Kamptal (Dialogue in Kamptal). This group is not linked to any specific political party. They hold events at their art studio in Gars am Kamp.
These events help people learn and talk about important political, diplomatic, and social topics. Many important people have attended, including Karl von Habsburg, Karin Kneissl, and Erhard Busek.
As a Politician
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Matthias Laurenz Gräff has been active in politics in Gars am Kamp since 2022. He represents the Austrian liberal party NEOS. He was also a candidate for elections in Lower Austria in 2023.
In March 2024, Matthias became the official NEOS Representative for Greece. In this role, he represents NEOS in Greece. He also helps connect with liberal Greek political parties.
Artistic Highlights
Exhibitions
Matthias Laurenz Gräff's art has been shown in many places. Here are some of them:
- 2023: "Networking Remarque" and "Ein Geschenk für Remarque" at the Erich Maria Remarque Friedenszentrum Osnabrück.
- 2020: "Weltweit Worldwide Remarque" at the Erich Maria Remarque Peace Center Osnabrück.
- "Deep Purple - Art and History - The exhibition" in Köln, Germany. This celebrated 50 years of the band Deep Purple.
- He organized meetings with Nick Simper and Don Airey, who are musicians from Deep Purple.
- 2017: A charity art show in Vienna to help people with Polyneuropathy.
- "Garser Wein 2016" at the "Weinfest '16" in Gars am Kamp.
- "Liebreizendes Griechenland" in Vienna.
- Exhibitions at the Red Cross Lower Austria in Tulln an der Donau.
- Shows at the University of Applied Arts Vienna.
- Exhibitions at the Kunsthalle Wien-Karlsplatz project space in Vienna.
Art Collections
Matthias Laurenz Gräff's artworks are part of many collections. Some notable ones include:
- Erich Maria Remarque Friedenszentrum (Erich Maria Remarque Peace Center) in Osnabrück, Germany.
- The collection of Karl von Habsburg, who leads the former royal family of Austria.
- The collection of Dr. Karin Kneissl, a former Foreign Minister of Austria.
- The collection of Dr. Erhard Busek, a former Vice Chancellor of Austria.
- The collection of Don Airey, a member of Deep Purple.
- The collection of Dr. Alexander Van der Bellen, the President of Austria.
- The Community of Gars am Kamp.
- The collection of Nick Simper, a founding member of Deep Purple.
- The Embassy of Greece in Vienna.
- The Red Cross of Lower Austria.
- The Art Collection of the University of Applied Arts Vienna.
Family Association Gräff-Graeff
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| Formation | 2013 |
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| Type | Family association |
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Membership
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Gräff, Graeff, De Graeff family lines |
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Chairman
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Matthias Laurenz Gräff |
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Vice Chairman
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Rudolf Gräff jr |
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Main organ
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General assembly |
In 2013, Matthias Laurenz Gräff helped start the Family Association Gräff-Graeff. He also became its chairman. This group is for people who are descendants of the (De) Graeff families. It includes the Dutch De Graeff family line. The association was officially registered in Austria.
Images for kids
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Matthias Laurenz Gräff and Karl von Habsburg in front of the Graeff family coat of arms (2022)
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Artist meeting with Matthias Laurenz Gräff, Don Airey, and Georgia Kazantzidu
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Matthias Laurenz Gräff and others at a "Dialog im Kamptal" event (2020)
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Matthias Laurenz Gräff, official NEOS Representative for Greece
See also
In Spanish: Matthias Laurenz Gräff para niños
