Gretchen Albrecht facts for kids

Gretchen Albrecht CNZM (born 7 May 1943) is a famous New Zealand painter and sculptor. She is known for her unique and colourful abstract artworks.

Early Life and Art School

Gretchen Albrecht was born in Onehunga, New Zealand, in 1943. She went to Mount Roskill Grammar School. Later, she studied art at the University of Auckland's Elam School of Fine Arts. She finished her studies with an honours degree in painting in 1963.

Her Artistic Journey

Starting Out as an Artist

In the 1960s, Gretchen Albrecht's early paintings were often about her own life. But in the early 1970s, she changed her focus. She stopped painting people and started looking at nature. She painted landscapes, her garden, and natural objects.

Around 1970, she also began using thinner acrylic paints instead of thick oil paints. She painted on plain canvases, letting the paint soak into the fabric. This was similar to how watercolour paintings look.

Exploring Abstract Art in the 1970s

During the 1970s, Albrecht's art became more and more abstract. This means her paintings didn't show real things exactly as they looked. Instead, they used shapes, colours, and lines to express ideas. She often started by observing nature, like the West Coast beaches or Manukau Harbour.

Her early painting titles were simple, like Table-Cloth with Curtain. But as her art became more abstract, her titles became poetic. Examples include Grey Ledge, Storm Swell, and Penumbra. In 1971, an exhibition of American artist Morris Louis' abstract paintings inspired her. It encouraged Albrecht to be even bolder with her abstract style.

Developing Her Unique Style (1980s Onwards)

In 1980, Albrecht traveled around Europe and the United States. After this trip, her art started to reference famous European painters. She created works with titles like After Piero and Giotto's Blue.

This period also saw her develop her special style. She began using unique canvas shapes. These included the lunette, which she calls Hemispheres, and oval-shaped canvases, which she calls Ovals. Sometimes she used oval shapes within regular rectangular canvases.

Albrecht first used the hemisphere shape in 1981 while living in Dunedin. She was the Frances Hodgkins Fellow at the University of Otago. She wanted to move away from traditional square and rectangle canvases. She felt the curved shape had a special feeling. She said it had a "sensuousness" and a "generosity" that straight edges didn't have.

In 1985, she created four works for an exhibition at the Auckland Art Gallery. Each painting represented one of the four seasons. She wanted people to feel like they were walking through an environment of art.

Albrecht has been compared to other famous abstract artists. These include Mark Rothko and Helen Frankenthaler. Since the early 2000s, she has also created oval metal sculptures.

Gretchen Albrecht received grants from the QE II Arts foundation in 1976, 1978, and 1986. She traveled and worked a lot in the United States. In 1981, she received the Frances Hodgkins Fellowship. Today, she divides her time between Auckland and London.

Major Exhibitions

Gretchen Albrecht's art has been shown in many important exhibitions:

• 1964 Contemporary New Zealand Painting, Auckland Art Gallery
• 1965 New Zealand Painting 1965, Auckland Art Gallery
• 1969 10 Years of New Zealand Painting, Auckland Art Gallery
• 1975 New Zealand's Women Painters, Auckland Art Gallery
• 1982 Seven Painters/The Eighties, Sarjeant Gallery, Wanganui
• 1985 Artist in Focus, Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt
• 1985 Seasonal, Auckland Art Gallery
• 1986 AFTERnature: Gretchen Albrecht: A Survey – 23 Years, Sarjeant Gallery, Wanganui; National Art Gallery Wellington
• 1991 Cross-Currents, Waikato Museum of Art and History, Hamilton
• 1991 Signature of Place, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth
• 1992 Distance Looks Our Way – 10 Artists from New Zealand, EXPO (Seville; toured to Leiden, Madrid, Zamora, Barcelona, Auckland Art Gallery, City Gallery Wellington, Manawatu Art Gallery)
• 1998 Dream Collectors, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
• 1998 Leap of Faith, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth
• 1999 Crossing the divide: a painter makes prints, Sarjeant Gallery, Wanganui
• 2001 Prospect 2001, City Gallery Wellington
• 2002 Gretchen Albrecht: Illuminations, Auckland Art Gallery
• 2005–2006 Gretchen Albrecht: Returning, Dunedin Public Art Gallery and City Gallery Wellington
• 2011 Gretchen Albrecht & Eve Armstrong, Making Arrangements, Michal Lett, Auckland
• 2012 Gretchen Albrecht: A Luminous Shade, Tauranga Art Gallery
• 2015 Colloquy, Two Rooms, Auckland
• 2016 Gretchen Albrecht: On Copper, Two Rooms, Auckland
• 2018 I come out of surgery looking golden, Two Rooms, Auckland

Awards and Recognition

Gretchen Albrecht was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2000. This is a special honour given for her great contributions to painting. In 2007, she also received a donation from the Arts Foundation of New Zealand.

Where Her Art Is Kept

Gretchen Albrecht's artworks are held in many important public art collections across New Zealand. These include 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.