Gretchen Albrecht was born on 7 May 1943 and is a New Zealand painter and sculptor.
11 Facts About Gretchen Albrecht
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Gretchen Albrecht attended Mount Roskill Grammar School and the University of Auckland Elam School of Fine Arts, graduating in 1963 with an honours degree in painting.
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In 1980, after a year spent travelling in Europe and the United States, Gretchen Albrecht produced works that directly referenced European painters and the history of art rather than her surroundings, with titles such as After Piero, Giotto's Blue and Lunette.
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Gretchen Albrecht first worked in the hemisphere form while living in Dunedin in 1981 as the Frances Hodgkins Fellow at the University of Otago: the artists has said 'I knew I wanted the hemisphere in 1981.
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Gretchen Albrecht has been compared to Mark Rothko and particularly Helen Frankenthaler and other abstract expressionist artists.
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Gretchen Albrecht has expanded her work into oval metal sculpture since the early 2000s.
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Gretchen Albrecht received grants from the QE II Arts foundation in 1976,1978 and 1986, and travelled and worked extensively in the United States.
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In 1981, Gretchen Albrecht was awarded the Frances Hodgkins Fellowship at the University of Otago.
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Gretchen Albrecht was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to painting, in the 2000 Queen's Birthday Honours.
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In 2007 Gretchen Albrecht received a donation from the Arts Foundation of New Zealand Award for Patronage recipient Jenny Gibbs.
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Gretchen Albrecht's work is held in all major New Zealand public gallery collections, including the Auckland Art Gallery, the University of Auckland, Victoria University of Wellington, Sarjeant Gallery, Waikato Museum, and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.