Work
ABSTRACTS, FIGURATIVES, MONOTYPIES, FELT-TIP PEN DRAWINGS
Informal paintings take up an important space in Berkes body of work. From his study times until his death, he creates abstract paintings using different techniques, from monotypies to felt-tip pen drawings. His early works …
SPAIN, MAROCCO, SYLT, SYRIA, PROVENCE, CRETE, HOLLAND, HERCULANEUM
Berke finds inspiration for his oil and watercolor paintings during frequent trips abroad. He paints on site as well as from memory and creates a recollection of scenic impressions and momentary atmospheres. He himself describes his process as …
CONCENTRATION CAMPS, FIGURINES OF THE LIMBO, THE PRISONER, BIAFRA, BEAUTY COMPETITIONS
In the 1960ies, Berke processes his impressions and personal history of the Nazi trials, human need and poverty in Biafra and the rest of the word. His appealing paintings join the movement of politicisation of the international art scene of that time. As part of a historical and cultural discussion …
POETS, JOURNEY TO THE MOON, WALK IN THE YEAR 2000, LES GAUCHERS DE BLAUVAC, THE MARSHES OF MOUNT LIANG, ODYSSEY
Inspired by trips and literature, Berke creates these couple of series incorporating a mixture of grotesque and science-fiction. They are odd, exaggerated and curious, displaying the variation of a theme in a number of colorful pictures filled with lines. …
MASKS & GROTESQUERIES
Before and after the Second World War, Berke creates a series of paintings that interpret his experiences, foreboding a dark future. Dead bodies are sinking in mud, hiding their faces behind masks, celebrating human fantasies and take on eerie and surreal forms. …
DANCE OF THE DEAD & TEMPTATION OF THE HOLY ANTONIUS
The series about the temptation of the holy Antonius in its sketches and drawings evokes little and grand signs of an approaching apocalypse and the Last Judgement. Erotic seduction and threatening monsters, a struggle …
ZEN
Before deciding on pursuing the studies of art, Berke had been prepared to become a catholic missionary in China. That is the reason why he came into contact with zen buddhist culture and art very early on in his life. …
JAZZ & NEGRO SPIRITUALS
Starting in 1950, Berke creates a series of work interpreting jazz and negro spirituals as an expression of his love for this style of music. They reflect the vitality and the dynamic of different bodies of sound. Next to realistic appearing elements …
PORTRAITS, SELF-TPORTRAITS, NUDES, CARICATURES, DOLLS, ILLUSTRATIONS, DRAWINGS
During the time of the Nazi regime, Berke mainly creates illustrations and harmless works. Still, these realistic drawings and sketches show his immense technical painting skills. With just a few lines …
THEATER, BALLET, CARNIVAL
Berke cooperates with the choreographer Aurel von Milloss in creating sceneries and costumes for the municipal theater of Cologne. This series encompasses drawings as well as sculptures.
SCULPTURES
he three dimensional works take up a relatively small space in Hubert Berkes body of work compared to oil paintings and drawings. He assembled different materials he found, unused tools and scrap metals creating imaginative objects and structures, often of an enchanting and poetic nature.…