Gretchen Albrecht (b. 1943, Auckland) is a prominent New Zealand abstract painter known for her use of colour, form, and shaped canvases. A graduate of Elam School of Fine Arts, she began her career in the 1960s and rose to national prominence in the 1980s with her distinctive “Hemisphere” and “Oval” series—large, sweeping works that combine painterly emotion with geometric structure.
Over the decades, Albrecht’s work has been widely exhibited in New Zealand and internationally, including major solo shows at the Auckland Art Gallery and Dunedin Public Art Gallery. Her paintings are held in key public collections such as Te Papa, the Auckland Art Gallery, and major Australian institutions.
Collectors value her bold compositions and enduring influence on contemporary New Zealand art.
In 2000, Albrecht was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to painting.