Born in Beuthen, Germany Gatja Helgart Rothe studied drawing, art history, anatomy, and goldsmithing (her father's craft) before emigrating to New York in 1970 where, in addition to her work as a jewelry designer, she developed her technical skills in mezzotint, including the innovative use of transparency in this challenging medium. In 1979, she moved to Carmel, California and established a gallery and studio there. In the mid-1980s, she opened studios in Brooklyn and Manhattan, and pursued her new interest in "graffiti" art, producing a number of large works in this style. She died at Geneva, Switzerland.