Gust Graas
Gust (Gustave) Grass (born 1924) is a Luxembourg businessman and painter who has not only played a major role in the development of Luxembourg-based radio and television concern RTL but is also a talented abstract painter.[1]
Early life
Graas was born on 19 December 1924 in Esch-sur-Alzette in the south of Luxembourg. During the German occupation of Luxembourg, he was forced to join the Wehrmacht but managed to desert. After the liberation, he studied law at Louvain and Paris.[2]
Business career
After working as a lawyer in Luxembourg City, in 1952 he joined CLT RTL as secretary general. In 1975, he became director-general and a member of the board. He gave the company a more European dimension and, in 1983, created RTL Television, Germany's first private television station. Graas was also a co-founder of Luxair, Luxembourg's airline, which he headed for over 20 years.[2][3]
Artistic work
In parallel with his business career, Gust Graas also took an active interest in art, producing paintings and works of sculpture. When studying in Paris, he had met several Impressionist painters from the Paris School with whom he maintained contact. In 1970, he was awarded the Prix Grand-Duc Adolphe.[2]
Since his retirement in 1989, he has lived in Pollença on the Spanish island of Majorca where he has continued to paint. His exhibition Mis años en España (1989-2003) clearly shows how the sun and colour of the island has influenced his work. Explaining the background to his art, Graas commented: "My paintings fully express my feelings about life and about life after death".[4]
External links
References
- ^ "Graas, Gust(ave)", Luxemburger Lexikon, Editions Guy Binsfeld, Luxembourg, 2006.
- ^ a b c "Gust Grass", mediArt.lu. Template:Fr icon Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- ^ "Gust Graas", Munzinger. Template:De icon Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- ^ J. Ruiz Mantilla, "El luxemburgués Gust Graas muestra su obra de luz y cosmos", El País, 29 January 2004. Template:Es icon Retrieved 19 December 2010.