Even though the news of Keanu Reeves and Alexandra Grant dating may have only come out recently, they have known each other for over a decade now.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on February 21, 2020.
Keanu Reeves is, without a doubt, one of the most intriguing celebrities in the world. When The Matrix star first walked the LACMA Art + Film Gala red carpet with artist Alexandra Grant in November 2019, the rumor mill started churning and everyone wanted to know who the mystery woman was, who had managed to steal the heart of one of the nicest men in Hollywood. Surprisingly, the thing people found most shocking about Grant was that she likes to keep her hair in its natural glory.
The LA-based artist has a head full of silver locks and some people mistook her for Reeves' mother, Patricia Taylor. And when the actor brought his mom as his date for Oscars 2020, and some people mistook his mom for his new girlfriend. Anyway. Grant may have been in the news for being Keanu Reeves' girlfriend but there's a lot more to her than that. Here are five things you didn't know about Alexandra Grant.
The 50-year-old has had her work exhibited at multiple galleries and institutions across the world. Many of her works are also part of museum collections around the world. According to her website, Grant has won many accolades and awards, including a grant from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation. She has worked with writers and notable thinkers like Hélène Cixous. She likes to explore "the use of text and language in various media—painting, drawing, sculpture, film, and photography."
The couple has known each other for more than a decade now, and have, in fact, worked on two books together. The first one was called Ode to Happiness, released in 2011. She did the illustrations while Reeves wrote the poetic text. It was her first art book and his first one as a writer, according to Newsweek. In 2016, they collaborated again on a book called Shadows, which was illustrated by her. It "explored the real and symbolic nature of the shadow as image and figure of speech."
The artist and the actor crossed paths more than a decade ago in 2009, and have stayed in touch ever since. They have been seen together many times before, including an intimate Thanksgiving dinner date in 2013. Reeves and Grant have been thriving professionally for a while and now they decided to take their relationship to another level. Jennifer Tilly, a friend of Grant's, told Pagesix that the duo has been dating for years now. "I remember a couple years ago, about a year and a half ago, [Grant] said, 'Keanu Reeves is my boyfriend' and I’m like, 'Wait. What? What? What?'" Tilly, 61, said.
After working on two books together, the duo explored their artistic association further, and in 2017, the two co-founded X Artists' Books, a publishing house that focuses on publishing "thoughtful, high-quality, artist-centered books that fit within and between genres." They have published a few titles like The Artists' Prison, The Words of Others, and Oracular Transmissions, as per Harper's Bazaar.
She is not just an artist but a philanthropist as well. She created the grant LOVE project, which benefits other artist projects and arts non-profits. Her project has raised funds for Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA), Project Angel Food, Art of Elysium, 18th Street Arts Center, and LAXART, according to her website.
References:
https://www.newsweek.com/5-facts-about-keanu-reeves-new-lady-love-artist-alexandra-grant-1469722
