“I find it hard to explain what I’m painting, or why; actually, I don’t see any reason to analyse or justify my work. However, I like enigmas – they seem so boundless as long as they are unsolved.” Peter Gric.
Peter Gric was born 1968 in the then Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. When he was a boy, his family were granted permission to holiday outside of the strictly controlled socialist territories. Unbeknown to him, his parents never planned to return, and drove to Austria instead of their state approved holiday destination, where they applied for residency.
He studied under professor Arik Brauer at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna who was one of the original members of the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism. Peter therefore is among the next generation of artists influenced from this movement.
Peter has been exhibited alongside other notable artists such as H R Giger and is a member of the Labyrinthe group.
He has illustrated numerous book covers, predominantly for sci-fi or fantasy genres. Being of a younger generation of artists, he has not shied from digital technology and also worked in 3D modeling. This has been used by him to visualize some of his more complex works before being committed to paint.
In 2007, Peter commenced a stage design for the SamPlay production “Hamlet in Rock”.
That same year, Peter’s work appeared in an international publication, “Metamorphosis – 50 Contemporary Surreal, Fantastic and Visionary Artists”. He has since exhibited with Galerie 10, which has had a long association with the founders of Vienna Fantastic Realists, such as Ernst Fuchs, Wolfgang Hutter and Arik Brauer who he studied under.
He was also invited to join the Ange Exquis, an international group project organized by his fellow countryman and painter Lukáš Kándl. Project members add and remove artworks from the collective body of work over time.
His artwork has been acquired by many private and public collectors, among them also the Austrian Gallery in the Belvedere in Vienna.