Brad Albrecht

In the New Orleans area, folk artist Brad Albrecht, known as “Radar Man,” creates works encased in vintage marine radar units once used on tugboats and working vessels to navigate the rivers, bays, and coastal waters of the Gulf South. By transforming these retired instruments into artistic frames, he connects maritime technology with the waterways that inspire his art.
Albrecht has worked for over 40 years at Air Marine Radio Co., a family-owned marine electronics company founded by his father, Bob Albrecht, and serving the Gulf Coast for more than 65 years.
Raised in the bayou country outside New Orleans, he spent decades repairing marine radar and navigation systems on tugboats along the Mississippi River. A self-taught painter, he creates folk art inspired by coastal communities, swamps, wildlife, and the working waterways of Louisiana and Alabama.
His work reflects a lifelong connection to the Gulf Coast, where navigation, memory, and landscape come together. Encased in radar units that once guided vessels, his paintings preserve maritime heritage while celebrating the culture and environment of the American South.