Life -

Life

1908	Born January 22nd in Buer/Westphalia.
1930-32	Study of philosophy and art history at the Universities of Münster (till 1931) and Königsberg. In Münster attending lectures by Peter Wust, in Königsberg by Wilhelm Worringer. In Königsberg he also studied painting with Fritz Burmann.
1932-33	Academy of Arts Dusseldorf. Studied under Paul Klee.
1933	With the dismissal of Paul Klee from his post by the National Socialists, Berke leaves the Dusseldorf academy and returns to Buer/Westphalia.
1936	First exhibition in the Wallraf Richartz Museum, Cologne.
1937	Marriage with Brunhilde Hoppe. Studio and domicile in Arnoldshöhe, suburb of Cologne.Visit to Paris on the occasion of the world exhibition.
1940	Scholarship from the city of Cologne.Study trip to Regensburg and Passau. Visited Kubin’s studio.
1941	Conscription.
1943	Artistic stay in Vienna.
1945	Transfer to an armoured unit. Captured and imprisoned in a british war camp.
1946	Move to Alfter near Bonn.Activity in the Donnerstagsgesellschaft (Thursday society) in the castle of Alfer together with the Cologne art historians Dr. Hermann Schnitzler and Toni Feldenkirchen, as well as the painters Hann Trier, Joseph Fassbender among others.
1948	Cornelius Prize of the City of Dusseldorf.During the following years he became a member of the Westdeutscher Künstlerbund (West German artist’s alliance), the Deutscher Künstlerbund (German artist’s alliance), the Neue Rheinische Sezession (New Rheinish Secession), the group junger westen (Young West), the Münchner Neue Gruppe (Munich New group) as well as the group „ZEN“ (from 1951).
1950	Prize of „junger westen“ (Young West) by the city of Recklinghausen.
1952	Trip to Spain and North Africa. Stay in Paris. 2nd prize „Eisen und Stahl“ (iron and steel) by the city of Dusseldorf.
1960	Chair of »free hand drawing and water colours« for the RWTH Aachen.Summer stay on Sylt.
1960-61	Scene designer for the ballet („Petruschka“, „Tides“) at the Cologne Opera House in cooperation with the choreographer Aurel von Milloss.
1961	Großer Kunstpreis (art award) by the City of Cologne. Together with Max Ernst.Summer vacation on Sylt. Stay in Rome.
1962	Karl Ernst Osthaus Prize by the city of Hagen. Conrad von Soest Prize by the city of Münster.
1963	Trip to Syria.
1969	Trips to the Provence/France.
1972	First rip to Crete/Greece.
1973	Buys a plot of land with a small house on the island of Schouwen Duiveland.
1974	Second visit to Crete/ Greece.
1978	Trip to southern Italy with a stay on Ischia.
1979	Dies November 24th in Cologne.