Graba'


Ignace De Graeve was a Belgian artist, who also used the name Graba. He created mainly paintings and jewellery.

Biography

Graba' enjoyed a very eclectic education first in history, followed by decorative arts and finally audiovisual media.
For eight years, he was a critic for the Belgian Radio and Television, hosting radio programs of classical music, and gave lectures on 'how to listen to music' in several cities. He led an international design agency for five years and provided numerous institutions, societies and companies with a new brand image.
As artistic director of "language of forms" he was responsible for the creation and realisation of the Belgian pavilion for the 1985 World's fair at Tsukuba, Ibaraki, the Flanders Hotel in Gent, the Flemish-Japanese golf club in Hasselt, and the Markies Building in Brussels and buildings in Hong Kong and Singapore. He lived in Paris since 1979 and worked in France, Belgium and Portugal.

Works

Graba' created his paintings and jewels in cycles. He found inspiration in eastern as well as western themes. Graba' wanted to shock by painting in a deliberative figurative manner as a so-called "new" old master. He painted on large wooden panels, applying many layers of paint and ink, based on the glacis technique, giving the work a unique luminosity and transparency. His jewels were crafted through the lost wax technique. After centrifugal casting in 750/1000 alloy, the mould was broken and destroyed meaning only one original existed.

Cycles/exhibitions

Monographies