Melissa Kretschmer

Melissa Kretschmer is an American contemporary artist recognized for her innovative hybrid sculpture/painting pieces. The artist was born in 1962 in Santa Monica, California. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degrees from the esteemed Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.

Melissa Kretschmer's Art Style

For 25 years, Kretschmer has dedicated herself to creating seemingly simple yet deeply layered paintings. Critics have likened her works to valentines, reliquaries, and hermetically sealed vaults. Kretschmer employs a diverse range of materials and techniques to challenge traditional notions of painting.

Vellum, gesso, gouache, plywood, and beeswax are among the inventive materials she uses. By assembling these materials like a collage, her process balances improvisation with precision, often measuring fragments to a fraction of an inch. However, Kretschmer deliberately resists perfect precision, instead prioritizing accuracy. Through these intentional gestures, she engages viewers in an exploration of perception, challenging notions of flatness and dimensionality.

Exhibitions of Kretschmer's Works

Kretschmer's works have been showcased extensively both across the nation and around the globe, spanning a multitude of prestigious galleries, museums, and art institutions. Her solo exhibitions have been held at Konrad Fischer Galerie in Düsseldorf and Berlin, Galeria Alfonso Artiaco in Naples, Lesley Heller in New York, Ace Gallery in Los Angeles, Giacomo Guidi in Rome, Drawing Room in Hamburg, Galerie Greta Meert in Brussels, and many more esteemed venues.

Additionally, the artist has participated in group showcases, including "Beyond Black and White" at Westbeth Gallery in New York (2018), "50 Years of Konrad Fischer Galerie 1967-2017" at Konrad Fischer Galerie in Düsseldorf (2017), "Melissa Kretschmer & Russell Maltz: Plywood" at Minus Space in Brooklyn (2015), among others.