A Short Biography of Gabriel Krekk

Gabriel Krekk, b. 1955, Hungary

Gabriel Krekk was born in 1955 in Nyirbator, Hungary, to his parents,

Lajos and Violetta. The following year the Hungarians would engage

the communist Soviet regime to fight for their freedom at any cost.

Their battle became known as history’s Hungarian/Russian Revolution.

The Krekk family left behind their farm and possessions in eastern

Hungary and made their way across the country to escape the war.

Fleeing into Austria, they spent nearly two years moving from one

refugee camp to another finally to be given accommodations in an

army barracks in Styr. They began to rebuild their life when Lajos was

hired to work at a brick making factory. With the birth of their second

child, Maria, the Krekks would now accept Austria as their homeland.

In the summer of 1958, Canada offered an acceptance of immigration

to the family. This proved to be another difficult life decision for the household.

In the late fall of 1958, the Krekks flew to Canada and arrived in Halifax,

Nova Scotia. While here they were blessed with the birth of their third

child, Bobbie, who could forever call Canada her homeland. Moving

shortly afterwards to Havelock, New Brunswick, Lajos would run a

dairy farm for their Canadian sponsors. Their basic needs were met,

and their little two room tar papered farm house was a dream come

true for the short term. The family endured many hardships in the

months ahead and were totally isolated from other people. The spring

thaw caused massive flooding of the region by the nearby river,

separating the family from Lajos, who was working at the dairy farm

on the other side of the river. Once the family reunited three days

later, they knew this way of life could not go on. Violetta’s brother

Tony had immigrated to Belleville, Ontario, years before. With his

invitation to move there, and his assurance that jobs were plentiful, once again the family pulled up roots, and in

the fall of 1959 made their way to Belleville. Here they would lay a lasting foundation to raise their family.

Krekk’s love for art began at a very early age by spending countless hours developing his artistic skills.

Speaking only Hungarian and German proved a difficult transition for him in forming friendships. Trying to

communicate with other children was difficult for the young boy. In avoiding the reality of his situation, he

would sit and draw his favorite comic book characters. He soon picked up English as his third language and

embraced the western culture, but his art would still prevail as his guiding passion.

About his Watercolor Paintings (published in the New York City – ARTisSpectrum​

​ magazine 2007)

Written by Agora Gallery’s Stephen Bracco​

Artist Gabriel Krekk's light-drenched photorealist watercolors belie the notion that contemporary painting must fall within an expressionist tradition. Instead, Krekk's work in photorealism reveals that an unmediated objective image is impossible; his skill lies in embracing that sobering truth while also allowing his humanism to come through. To paint a "mundane" object in the photorealist style is to see the object anew in ways not even possible through the original medium of photography. Krekk also brilliantly appropriates photography's imperfections--the globes of light which appear on a lens, and the unfocused backgrounds--and transfers them to the canvas, thereby raising philosophical and aesthetic questions about the intervention of technology (and the artist) in the creation of truth and beauty. Look at these works for both the visual pleasure and the humor, for Gabriel Krekk's stunning watercolors please the eye and stimulate the mind, while being benignly and ironically subversive to the status quo.

Throughout Krekk’s life, he has been heavily involved in giving back to the

world through donations of his time and with both his originals and limited

editions to support countless causes. In 2007, he launched his For Freedom

Project, donating his signature series print For Freedom​​ to charitable

causes and organizations across America. These organizations include a

high school in Hillsborough, New Hampshire, and most recently a donation

to a Rapid City group that was working to eliminate sex trafficking in the

Black Hills of South Dakota. The group from South Dakota requested and

was granted the adoption of his For Freedom name.

Also, in 2007 on a flight from Phoenix to Chicago, Krekk formulated another vision to create a

consortium of Contemporary Realism artists from across Canada. He spent the next two years

organizing and coordinating the creation of Canada’s The Group of Twelve—some of Canada’s

finest realism artists, who put on one of the largest art exhibitions in southeastern Ontario in 2010.

Krekk’s ability to develop dreams into visions with a clear structure until completion is confirmed

in all of his projects.

In 2004 Krekk met Nancy Duncan, an American who would become his soul-mate and wife. Her

strong belief in his paintings eventually shaped the very body of his work. As he spent many

years grappling with defining his subject material, a simple email heading arrived in his inbox in

December of 2011 from Nancy—Cowgirls. The following year in 2012, he developed the business

plan and then launched the AMERICAN COWGIRLS Project.

During his exhibition in Los Angeles in 2007, Krekk spent considerable time in Arizona. He knew that this would be

the state where he would spend his winters away from the frigid Canadian weather. In 2009 he purchased his

vacation home in Maricopa, Arizona, with its perfect location and access to the Southwest Art Market in Old

Scottsdale and Sedona.

On April 24, 2014, he retired from his long-standing 31 year career with Procter & Gamble so that

he could focus on both his art and photography careers. Throughout his years in his corporate

career, he continued to build and maintain his passion for both his art and photography.

The year 2015 proved to be one of the most devastating years in Krekk’s life as his father Lajos

passed away in August, and then, Nancy was diagnosed with breast cancer in October. He flew

into Chicago and moved her to his home in Maricopa, Arizona, for her to begin chemotherapy at

Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center in Gilbert. This would be another major life decision, and he

gave up his third homeland of Canada, so he would be able to give Nancy all of his care. In April of

2018, the heartbreaking medical tests revealed that the breast cancer had metastasized to her

liver. Their joint dreams of happily ever after ended when his wife passed away on November 12,

2018. The absolute grieving has not stopped for him, and many months passed before he was able to return to his

art. His driving force still comes from Nancy’s wish that he complete the project. In honor of his wife, he will

complete the vision of American Cowgirls.

In 2019 Krekk stepped in to support the Folds of Honor organization that assists the

families of America’s fallen and disabled soldiers. He stands with them and will

continue to do so with a $50 donation from each print sold from the limited edition

print released on November 13, 2019, of Seamus​ Casey – The Dream of 13​. The

original painting was sold in auction in Chicago at the Folds of Honor Gala

Celebration at Navy Pier Grand Ballroom on October 4th, 2019, for $13,000.

Krekk completed the illustrations for Amberley Snyder’s children's book, Walk Ride

Rodeo​​ that was published in 2017, and Netflix released the movie with the same name in March 2019. Krekk’s

photography also fills the pages of Lana Randall’s book Cowgirl, the Real American Brand​​ that was published in

July 2019. His body of work is clearly defined by his American Cowgirl paintings and his next generation style of

Subject focus.

Gabriel Krekk, along with his Cattle Dog, Dakota, continue to live and work from his home studio in Maricopa,

Arizona. He holds true to family values spanning two countries to maintain his family ties with his two sons,

Gabriel Jr. of Newfoundland and Michael of Montreal, Quebec. He embraces a powerful love for his four

grandchildren and hopes that one day one of them will follow his footsteps into the world of art.

My life work is dedicated to the memory of my wife, Nancy Duncan 1957 – 2018