Matthias Laurenz Gräff (also known as Matthias Laurenz Gräff Ilpenstein; born 19 July 1984) is an Austrian academic painter, private historian, politician, political activist and co-organizer of the non-partisan platform Dialog im Kamptal. Since 2013 he acted as chairman of the Family Association Gräff-Graeff. 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. 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. In 2013 Gräff became chairman of the worldwide Family Association Gräff-Graeff (Familienverband Gräff-Graeff e.V.). At the age of 17 Matthias Laurenz Gräff began to study illustration and graphic at the private New Design University St. Pölten, and in the following years he took part at the summer academy of Geras of Bernhard Hollemann. From 2002 to 2008 he studied at Wolfgang Herzig's masterclass of painting at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. 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. 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. Two years later Gräff created the painting for the vine etiquette of the Red Cross in Lower Austria. 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.
Dominique Bonvin, Carsten Welz