Early Life and Artistic Education
Born in Singen, Germany, Curth Georg Becker was the first child of August Becker, a publisher and editor, and Juliane Höfling. Following the bankruptcy of his father's publishing house, the family moved through Lörrach, Freiburg, and Elberfeld before settling in Moers am Niederrhein. After his father passed away when Becker was eleven, he spent several years in an orphanage in Moers due to the family's economic circumstances.
His formal artistic training began at the Baugewerbeschule Essen from 1920 to 1923, followed by studies at the Handwerker- und Kunstgewerbeschule Krefeld. In 1924, he enrolled at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, where he was supported by Walter Kaesbach and later became a master student of Heinrich Nauen between 1926 and 1928. Around 1932, he transitioned his birth name, Kurt, to the French spelling, Curth.
Career and Artistic Legacy
Becker's career was marked by extensive travel and significant professional involvement. Between 1928 and 1931, he undertook study trips to the Netherlands, S. Angelo d’Ischia, Paris, and Rome. During his time in Berlin around 1933, he was part of the Malerkreis Berliner Klosterstraße. His work faced challenges during the era of "Entartete Kunst," when his watercolor Landschaft bei Le Brusé and his 1927 painting Kinderbildnis were confiscated and destroyed by the art collection of the City of Düsseldorf.
After serving in the war and returning from French captivity, Becker lived in Hemmenhofen and later Gaienhofen. From 1947 to 1972, he served as the artistic director of the Singen art exhibitions, transforming them from local shows into significant regional events. He was a member of several prestigious groups, including the Badische Sezession and the Künstlerbund Baden-Württemberg. His life's work is preserved in the German Art Archive of the Germanisches Nationalmuseum.
